Ghana will in the coming days receive an additional 40 West Africans deported from the United States under a controversial agreement between Accra and Washington, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has confirmed.
The announcement follows last week’s disclosure that the US had already deported 14 migrants from the region to Ghana, sparking political backlash and questions over their whereabouts.
Ablakwa defended the decision, stressing that the move was driven by humanitarian and pan-African solidarity.
“On humanitarian grounds, on pan-African solidarity, let us accept our fellow West Africans. And let’s make the point that Ghana is your home,” the minister told Channel 1 TV on Wednesday night.
According to him, all deportees are vetted before arrival and will either remain in Ghana temporarily under ECOWAS free-movement protocols or return to their respective home countries.
However, the policy has raised concerns. Lawyers in the United States said some of the deportees are being held in military detention facilities in Ghana “under cruel conditions.” They also noted that five deportees—Nigerians and Gambians—had already been granted protection from deportation by US immigration authorities.
“If they return to their countries of origin, they risk torture, persecution, or death,” said Lee Gelernt of the American Civil Liberties Union.
The move is part of a broader crackdown on undocumented immigrants by US President Donald Trump, who has overseen the deportation of hundreds of people to third countries. Some were flown to El Salvador and Panama, with critics noting that deportations were carried out even before asylum applications could be processed.
The agreement with Ghana comes amid rising tensions between the two countries, as Washington has imposed new tariffs on Ghanaian exports and restricted visa issuance to its nationals.
