Ghana Accepts U.S. Deportees From West Africa

Ghana has begun taking in West African migrants deported from the United States, including Nigerians, President John Dramani Mahama confirmed on Wednesday.

Speaking in Accra, Mahama revealed that the first batch of 14 deportees — a group made up of Nigerians, a Gambian, and others — had already arrived, with Ghanaian officials overseeing their transit back 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. He further explained that West Africans “don’t need a visa anyway” to enter Ghana.

The move comes at a time when Washington, under President Donald Trump, has intensified efforts to deport migrants to “third countries” as part of a stricter immigration policy. Trump’s administration has previously facilitated deportations to Eswatini, South Sudan, and Rwanda, sparking criticism from rights groups concerned about the safety of migrants.

Unlike Ghana, Nigeria has rejected such requests. In July, Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar announced that the Federal Government would not take in deportees from outside Nigeria, citing both security and economic concerns.

On July 9, Trump met with five West African leaders at the White House — representing Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal. According to Reuters, one of the major goals of the talks was to secure more agreements for the reception of deportees expelled from the United States.