Ghana Agrees to Receive Nigerians, Other West Africans Deported from United States

Ghana has agreed to accept West Africans deported from the United States, President John Dramani Mahama announced on Wednesday, September 10. Speaking in Accra, Mahama revealed that the first group of 14 deportees—comprising Nigerians, a Gambian, and others—had already arrived in Ghana, where authorities are facilitating 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 explained. He stressed that the decision was in line with existing travel arrangements within the region.

The agreement comes amid Washington’s intensified deportation push under President Donald Trump, who has promoted removals to “third countries” as part of his immigration crackdown. His administration has previously deported migrants to countries such as Eswatini, South Sudan, and Rwanda, despite opposition from rights groups concerned about the safety of deportees.

While Ghana has opened its doors to West African deportees, Nigeria has rejected similar proposals 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 challenges.