Ghana Agrees to Accept West African Deportees from U.S.

President John Dramani Mahama has confirmed that Ghana has agreed to accept West African nationals deported from the United States, following a formal request from U.S. authorities.

The announcement was made during a press conference on Wednesday, as 14 deportees, including Nigerians and one Gambian, had already arrived in Ghana.

President Mahama stated that there is no fixed cap on the number of individuals Ghana is willing to receive, explaining that the decision was consistent with the country’s visa-free policy for West African nationals.

“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 said.

The Ghanaian government has facilitated the safe return of the recent arrivals to their respective home countries.

The development comes amid a broader crackdown on undocumented immigrants under U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. The White House has ramped up deportations, including to third-party countries, in line with its hardline immigration stance.

In July, similar deportation efforts saw five individuals sent to Eswatini and eight to South Sudan, sparking concerns among human rights advocates over the safety and legality of such transfers.

Source: News Central