Ghana has begun receiving West African nationals deported from the United States, including Nigerians and a Gambian, under a new bilateral arrangement with Washington.
President John Dramani Mahama confirmed on Wednesday that the first batch of 14 deportees had arrived in Accra, where Ghanaian authorities facilitated their return to their respective countries.
“We were approached by the US to accept third-party nationals who were being removed from the US,” Mahama said. “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 explained that under the ECOWAS free movement protocol, citizens of member states are entitled to travel and reside freely within the region. “West Africans don’t need a visa anyway to come to Ghana,” he added.
According to Mahama, several of the 14 deportees were Nigerians, while one was Gambian. Arrangements were being made to transport the Nigerians back home by bus, while Ghana continued assisting the Gambian with his return.
He did not disclose the total number of deportees expected, but emphasized that Ghana had only agreed to receive West African nationals in line with regional travel rules.
The move comes amid intensified deportations under US President Donald Trump, who has pursued a hardline immigration policy that includes removing migrants to “third countries.”
Washington has previously overseen deportations to Eswatini, South Sudan and Rwanda, despite concerns from rights groups about the safety of returnees. Last month, seven migrants were deported to Rwanda, while earlier removals included five to Eswatini and eight to South Sudan.
In West Africa, Nigeria has resisted similar overtures. Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar said in July that Abuja would not accept deportees from outside Nigeria, citing security and economic concerns.
Trump has been seeking wider African cooperation on deportations. On July 9, he hosted the leaders of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal at the White House, with one of the main objectives being to persuade them to take in deportees.
Mahama described Ghana’s relationship with the US as a “tightening one,” pointing to increased tariffs on Ghanaian goods and visa restrictions on its nationals. However, he stressed that relations with Washington remained generally positive.
Rights groups have criticized the Trump administration’s practice of sending deportees to countries with which they have no direct ties, including Jamaica, Vietnam and Laos, warning that such policies threaten the rights and safety of migrants.
For Ghana, Mahama said, the decision to cooperate was guided by the ECOWAS principle of free movement within the sub-region.
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