Nigeria and Jamaica have signed a Technical Assistance Agreement to strengthen bilateral cooperation and expand the impact of Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps (TAC) Programme in Jamaica.
The agreement was signed on Friday, September 25, 2026, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on the sidelines of the high-level meeting of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The pact followed a meeting between Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and her Jamaican counterpart, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith.
A statement by the minister’s Media Assistant, Dr Magnus Eze, said the agreement reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to deepening their longstanding bilateral relations through practical cooperation.
Johnson Smith expressed the appreciation of the Jamaican government for the contribution of Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps Programme to the country’s development, particularly in health, education and local fabric artisanry.
She also expressed Jamaica’s interest in receiving more Nigerian professionals, especially nurses and teachers, through the programme in the future.
The Jamaican minister said the TAC Programme had made a significant impact on communities across Jamaica, noting that its benefits extended beyond the transfer of technical skills to cultural and creative exchanges between the two countries.
She cited the development of “JADIRE” — a concept combining Jamaican designs with Nigeria’s traditional Adire tie-dye textile technique — as an example of the programme’s lasting impact.
The concept was developed by Jamaican artisans following training they received through the Technical Aid Corps Programme in 2018.
Both ministers acknowledged the potential for further expanding Nigeria-Jamaica cooperation and agreed to explore additional areas of mutual interest through existing and other bilateral platforms.
The meeting ended with the formal signing of the Technical Assistance Agreement, further strengthening the framework for cooperation between Nigeria and Jamaica and promoting exchanges for mutual benefit.
