Ghana has started accepting West African nationals deported from the United States, including Nigerians, President John Dramani Mahama has revealed.
According to Reuters, Mahama confirmed that a first group of 14 deportees—comprising Nigerians, a Gambian, and others—arrived in Accra, with Ghanaian authorities assisting in their onward return to their 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 said, noting that West Africans can enter Ghana visa-free.
The arrangement comes amid an intensified US deportation campaign under President Donald Trump, who has sought to return migrants to “third countries” as part of his strict immigration policy. Trump’s administration has previously deported migrants to countries including Eswatini, South Sudan, and Rwanda despite concerns from human rights groups.
Nigeria, however, has rejected similar requests from Washington. In July, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar stated that the Nigerian government would not accept deportees from outside the country, citing national security and economic concerns.
