By Ghana has agreed to take in West African nationals deported from the United States, including Nigerians, President John Dramani Mahama confirmed on Wednesday.
Speaking to Reuters, Mahama said a first batch of 14 deportees — made up of Nigerians, a Gambian and other nationals — had already arrived in Accra. Ghanaian authorities, he explained, were facilitating their onward travel to their respective 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.
The president defended the decision, stressing that citizens of the sub-region can already enter Ghana without visas under ECOWAS free movement protocols.
The arrangement is part of Washington’s stepped-up deportation push under President Donald Trump, who has championed sending migrants to “third countries” as a core piece of his immigration agenda. Rights groups have raised concerns over similar removals to Eswatini, South Sudan and Rwanda.
Nigeria, however, has rejected such requests from the US. In July, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar stated that the Federal Government would not take in deportees from outside Nigeria, citing both security and economic considerations.
On July 9, Trump hosted leaders from Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal at the White House. Reuters reported that one of his main goals during the meeting was to secure commitments from them to receive deportees.
