Ghana has begun receiving West African nationals deported from the United States, including Nigerians, President John Dramani Mahama announced on Wednesday.
According to Reuters, Mahama confirmed that a first batch of 14 deportees — comprising Nigerians, a Gambian, and others — had already arrived in Accra. He said Ghanaian authorities were working to facilitate their onward return to their home countries.
“We were approached by the U.S. to accept third-party nationals who were being removed from the U.S., 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,” Mahama explained.
The president defended the arrangement, stressing that citizens of the sub-region could enter Ghana without visas under existing regional protocols.
The development comes amid Washington’s intensified deportation campaign under President Donald Trump, who has promoted the transfer of migrants to “third countries” as part of his strict immigration policy.
Trump’s administration has previously overseen deportations to Eswatini, South Sudan, and Rwanda, despite concerns raised by rights groups over migrants’ safety.
Nigeria, however, has rejected similar overtures. In July, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said the Federal Government would not accept deportees from outside Nigeria, citing national security and economic considerations.
Reuters further reported that Trump hosted five West African leaders at the White House on July 9, with one of the key objectives being to persuade them to receive deportees from other countries. The leaders in attendance included those of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal.
