Ghana has become the latest country to accept people deported from the US as part of its campaign against undocumented migrants.
President John Mahama said nationals from various West African countries would now be taken in following a bilateral agreement with the US. He announced that 14 individuals have already arrived.
He cited the regional bloc ECOWAS's free movement protocol that allows citizens of member states to enter and reside in other West African countries without a visa.
Last month, the US deported seven migrants to Rwanda while in the previous month five were sent to Eswatini and eight others to South Sudan.
The 14 people already deported to Ghana include several Nigerians and a Gambian, according to the president. He did not specify the total number of deportees the country would take.
Mahama noted that Ghana had facilitated the return of the Nigerians back to their country by bus, while the Gambian was still being assisted to 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 stated.
He emphasized that all West African nationals do not need visas to enter Ghana.
Mahama described Ghana-US relations as a tightening situation, citing the hiked US tariffs on Ghanaian goods and visa restrictions on its nationals. Despite these challenges, he maintained a perspective of positive relations between the two countries.
The Trump administration has approached several African nations to accept deportees as part of its strategy to curb immigration, generating mixed reactions among those countries.
While some countries have cooperated, Nigeria has been a vocal opponent, stating it cannot accept pressure to take in US deportees.
