Ghana Begins Accepting Nigerians, Other West African Deportees From US

Ghana has started accepting West African nationals deported from the United States, including Nigerians, President John Dramani Mahama announced on Wednesday.

According to Reuters, Mahama said a first batch of 14 deportees, comprising Nigerians, a Gambian, and others — had already arrived in Accra, with Ghanaian authorities facilitating their onward return 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 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 emphasised that the decision aligns with Ghana’s visa-free policy for West African citizens.

The arrangement comes amid the US’s intensified deportation efforts under President Donald Trump, who has sought to remove migrants to “third countries” as part of his hardline immigration policy.

Rights groups have previously raised safety concerns over similar deportations to countries such as Eswatini, South Sudan, and Rwanda.

Nigeria, by contrast, has rejected similar requests from Washington. In July, Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said the government would not accept deportees from outside Nigeria, citing national security and economic considerations.

Trump hosted five West African leaders at the White House on July 9, reportedly aiming to persuade them to accept deportees from other countries. The leaders included the Presidents of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal.