By Abiola Olawale
The government of Ghana has announced its decision to accept West African nationals deported from the United States, with the first group of 14 individuals, including Nigerians and a Gambian, arriving in the country.
Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama made the announcement, explaining that the decision aligns with the country’s commitment to regional agreements under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which permits visa-free travel for West Africans.
“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 because all our fellow West Africans don’t need a visa to come to our country,” he said.
He justified the decision by saying West Africans “don’t need a visa anyway” to come to Ghana.
The New Diplomat reports that the arrangement comes amid US intensified deportation drive under President Donald Trump, who has pushed for removals to “third countries” as part of his hardline immigration policy.
Trump has previously overseen deportations of migrants to Eswatini, South Sudan, and Rwanda despite safety concerns raised by rights groups.
Nigeria, however, has reportedly rejected similar overtures from the United States.
Recall that Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, had said in July that the Federal Government would not accept deportees from outside Nigeria, citing national security and economic concerns as reasons.
