Accra – Ghana has received 14 West African nationals deported from the United States, President John Mahama announced on Wednesday. The group included Nigerian and Gambian citizens who planned to return to their home countries.
President Mahama said the agreement with Washington was based on regional protocols that allow West Africans to move freely without visas. “West Africa has a protocol of free movement. Any West African is welcome in Ghana,” he said.
The deportations come amid U.S. policies targeting immigrants who have overstayed visas or are deemed to have committed crimes. Legal experts and rights activists have raised concerns over the legality of sending deportees to countries with poor human rights records and limited access to legal support.
Ghana joins Eswatini, Rwanda, and South Sudan as African nations that have received deportees from the U.S., a move that has sparked debate over international migration practices and human rights obligations.
President Mahama did not indicate whether the 14 deportees had any criminal records. Nigerian nationals constitute the majority of those deported to Ghana, which is the first West African country to publicly confirm such an arrangement with the United States.
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