Ghana has started accepting West African nationals deported from the United States, including Nigerians, President John Dramani Mahama revealed on Wednesday.
According to a Reuters report, Mahama announced that a first group of 14 deportees, comprising Nigerians, a Gambian, and others, had already arrived in Accra. Ghanaian authorities, he said, are working to facilitate the return of these individuals to their respective home countries.
“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,” President Mahama explained. He justified Ghana’s cooperation by noting that West Africans are permitted to enter Ghana without a visa under regional protocols.
This arrangement comes as the U.S., under President Donald Trump, intensifies its deportation efforts, including the practice of sending migrants to “third countries” as part of a stricter immigration policy. In the past, the Trump administration has overseen removals to countries such as Eswatini, South Sudan, and Rwanda, despite concerns from rights groups about the safety of deportees.
Not all West African nations have agreed to similar arrangements. Nigeria, for instance, has rejected U.S. requests to accept deportees who are not Nigerian citizens, citing national security and economic reasons. In July, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, stated that the Federal Government would not accept deportees from outside Nigeria.
The issue was reportedly discussed at a July 9 White House meeting hosted by President Trump with five West African leaders, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal, where persuading them to receive third-country deportees was a key objective.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com
