Ghana has confirmed it will accept West African nationals deported from the United States, with 14 individuals already arriving in Accra, President John Dramani Mahama announced late Wednesday. The group, which included Nigerians and one Gambian, has since been assisted by Ghanaian authorities in returning to their respective home countries.
President Mahama explained that Ghana agreed to the arrangement after being approached by Washington, emphasizing that citizens of West African nations do not require visas to enter Ghana under regional agreements. “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,” he said at a press conference.
The move comes amid former U.S. President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration crackdown, which sought to deport large numbers of undocumented immigrants, including by transferring them to so-called “third countries.” In recent months, Eswatini, South Sudan, and Rwanda have also received deportees under similar arrangements. While Mahama did not specify how many deportees Ghana is prepared to accept, he defended the decision as part of regional cooperation, even as concerns grow among migrants about safety upon return.