Ghana has agreed to accept West African nationals deported from the United States, with 14 individuals, including Nigerians and one Gambian, already arriving in the country.
According to President John Dramani Mahama, these deportees were processed through Ghana before being facilitated back to their home countries.
14 West Africans, including Nigerians and one Gambian, have been deported from the US to Ghana.
Ghana agreed to accept West African nationals because they don’t need visas to enter the country under the ECOWAS protocol on free movement.
“We were approached by the US to accept third-party nationals who were being removed from the US. And we agreed with them that West African nationals were acceptable,” Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama told reporters.
The Trump administration has been pressuring African governments to cooperate with its deportation drive, aiming to remove millions of people living in the US illegally.
The US has also deported individuals to other African countries, including Eswatini where 5 individuals were deported in July, South Sudan where 8 individuals were deported in July, Rwanda where 7 individuals were deported in August, with an agreement to accept up to 250 migrants
Nigeria has resisted similar requests from the US to accept deportees from outside the region, with Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar stating it would be difficult to accept Venezuelan prisoners.
Migrant rights groups have raised concerns about the safety and welfare of those being deported, citing potential human rights issues.
