Ghana Confirms Arrival of Nigerians, Other West Africans Deported from US

Ghana’s President, John Mahama, has confirmed that the country is receiving West African nationals, including Nigerians, who were deported from the United States.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mahama explained that the arrangement followed an agreement with Washington and was in line with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) free movement protocol, according to the BBC.

He revealed that an initial batch of 14 deportees — comprising Nigerians, a Gambian, and other West Africans — had already arrived in Accra.

The Ghanaian government, he said, provided buses to transport the Nigerians back to their home country, while support was being arranged for the Gambian national’s return.

“We were approached by the US to accept third-party nationals who were being removed from the US,” Mahama said. “And we agreed with them that West African nationals were acceptable. All our fellow West African nationals don’t need visas to come to our country.”

While acknowledging that trade tariffs and visa restrictions had created strains in Ghana-US relations, Mahama maintained that overall ties remained “still positive.”

This development comes as Washington intensifies deportation efforts under President Donald Trump, whose administration has championed the transfer of migrants to so-called “third countries” as part of a tougher immigration policy.

Recently, the US deported seven people to Rwanda, five to Eswatini, and eight to South Sudan.

Human rights groups have condemned the practice, warning that deporting migrants to unfamiliar countries threatens their rights and places them in vulnerable conditions.

Although Ghana has opted to cooperate, other African countries have pushed back. Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, stated in July that Nigeria would not bow to US pressure to accept third-country deportees, citing economic and security challenges.