Ghana’s government announced on Wednesday that it has accepted a group of 14 West African nationals deported from the United States, and that some of the returnees were Nigerian and Gambian. The arrivals mark the first time a West African country has publicly confirmed an agreement with Washington to receive deported third-country nationals.
President John Dramani Mahama told reporters Ghana agreed to take West African nationals because citizens of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) do not require visas to enter the country, a position he said simplified the U.S. request and the country’s ability to receive people from the region. Mahama confirmed the 14 had arrived and said the government had facilitated their onward return to their home countries where applicable.
The move comes amid a wider U.S. push this year to deport non-citizens, including routing some deportations to third countries that agree to accept them. Several other African countries — including Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda — have also received or agreed to receive deportees in recent months, a development that has drawn international attention and local debate.
Human-rights groups and some migrants have expressed concerns about safety and the legal status of people sent to third countries; President Mahama did not disclose whether those returned had criminal records, saying only that Ghana would accept fellow West Africans under regional travel rules. Regional officials and civil-society actors are likely to monitor whether Ghana sets any limits or conditions on future transfers.
For now, Ghana has not announced a fixed cap on how many deportees it will accept, and authorities say they will handle arrivals under existing regional and humanitarian frameworks.
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