Ghana has begun receiving West African nationals deported from the United States, including Nigerians, President John Dramani Mahama confirmed on Wednesday.
According to Reuters, Mahama disclosed that a first batch of 14 deportees — comprising Nigerians, a Gambian, and others — had already arrived in Accra. Ghanaian authorities are now facilitating their return 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,” Mahama explained.
He justified the decision by noting that West Africans “don’t need a visa anyway” to enter Ghana.
The arrangement follows Washington’s intensified deportation drive under President Donald Trump, who has pushed for removals to “third countries” as part of his hardline immigration policy. Similar US programs have seen deportations to Eswatini, South Sudan, and Rwanda, despite safety concerns flagged by rights groups.
Nigeria, however, has rejected such proposals. In July, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar stressed that Abuja would not accept deportees from outside the country, citing national security and economic concerns.
Trump hosted five West African leaders at the White House on July 9, where one of the central objectives, according to Reuters, was to persuade them to receive deportees from other nations. Attendees included the leaders of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal.
