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Ghana has now joined the list of nations cooperating with Washington on deportations, becoming the latest country to accept migrants removed from the United States under President Donald Trump’s immigration clampdown.
President John Mahama confirmed that the arrangement, struck through a bilateral deal with the US, would allow Ghana to receive deportees from across West Africa. “Fourteen have already arrived,” he disclosed, noting that the agreement extended to nationals of neighbouring countries.
He pointed to Ecowas’s free movement protocol, which permits citizens of member states to travel and reside within the region without a visa for up to 90 days, as the framework enabling such transfers.
In recent months, the US has sent deportees to other African nations as well—seven to Rwanda last month, five to Eswatini in July, and eight to South Sudan.
Of the 14 individuals who landed in Ghana, Mahama said the group included “several” Nigerians and one Gambian. He did not specify how many deportees Ghana would ultimately accept. The Nigerians have since been transported back to their home country by bus, while arrangements are ongoing to assist the Gambian national’s return.
“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,” Mahama explained. “All our fellow West African nationals don’t need visas to come to our country,” he added.
The president also acknowledged strains in Ghana’s relationship with the US, citing higher tariffs on Ghanaian exports and visa restrictions on Ghanaian citizens, calling it a “tightening situation.” Still, he stressed that relations remain broadly positive.
Trump’s administration has pursued similar arrangements with multiple countries as part of its bid to discourage immigration. Deportees have not only come from Africa but also from countries such as Jamaica, Vietnam, and Laos. Human rights advocates argue these removals infringe on basic rights, while some governments, including Nigeria, have openly rejected US pressure to accept third-country nationals
