Ghana has started receiving West African nationals deported from the United States, among them Nigerians, President John Dramani Mahama confirmed on Wednesday.
According to Reuters, Mahama revealed that the first group of 14 deportees, including Nigerians, a Gambian and others, have arrived in Accra.
Ghanaian authorities are coordinating their onward return to their home countries.
“We were approached by the US government to accept third-country nationals being deported, and we agreed that West African nationals could be accommodated because they do not require visas to enter Ghana,” the president explained.
Mahama highlighted that this decision was grounded in the fact that West Africans generally travel to Ghana visa-free.
The move aligns with Washington’s intensified deportation efforts under President Donald Trump, who has pursued policies pushing for the removal of migrants to “third countries” as part of a stricter immigration stance.
The Trump administration has already deported migrants to countries like Eswatini, South Sudan, and Rwanda, despite concerns from human rights organizations about their safety.
Nigeria, in contrast, has declined similar requests from the US. In July, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, stated that the government would not accept deportees from outside the country, citing economic and security risks.
President Trump also met with five West African leaders in the White House on July 9.
One of the main aims of the meeting was to encourage these countries including Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal to accept deported migrants from third nations.
