Ohio Senator Questions Columbus Spending on Ghana Nursing Partnership
Sen. Bernie Moreno wrote to Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther on Wednesday regarding a $225,000 grant supporting a nursing exchange program with Accra.
By Eric Collins ·
Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno is challenging Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther over a nursing partnership with Ghana.
In a Wednesday letter, Moreno, a Republican, criticized a memorandum of understanding signed in September that established the Ghana-Columbus Nursing Partnership Programme. The agreement is designed to facilitate the entry of qualified Ghanaian nurses into Ohio's healthcare workforce while strengthening nursing education. "Instead of investing in Ohio's domestic workforce, you and the Columbus City Council chose to direct $225,000 in public dollars towards recruiting nurses from overseas," Moreno wrote. The $225,000 referenced in the letter was approved by the Columbus City Council as a 2026 general fund grant to Greater Columbus Sister Cities International. City records indicate the funding supports exchanges among Columbus' 10 sister cities, including Accra, as well as organizational staffing and administrative costs. Moreno further stated that this amount represents a fraction of taxpayer funds spent during Ginther's tenure. "But this figure is only a fraction of the approximately $8.3 million in taxpayer dollars you have lit on fire to benefit noncitizens and foreign governments since you were elected as mayor," Moreno wrote. The senator argued the program could displace American workers and recommended the funds be directed toward Ohio nursing students. "You were elected to serve the citizens of Columbus, not the citizens of Ghana," Moreno wrote. "These funds should be invested directly in Ohio nursing students and utilized to expand Ohio's universities and colleges nursing programs' capacity." During the signing ceremony, Ginther stated, "Ghana has made significant investment in training nursing professionals who can migrate legally to enter a ready market in Columbus." The agreement also covers mutual skills transfer, institutional strengthening, and joint research, according to Ghanaian officials.
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Source: Fox News
