Ghana – Ghana has agreed to accept undocumented West Africans deported from the United States, President John Mahama confirmed Wednesday, marking a controversial shift in U.S.-Africa migration policy.
Speaking to journalists in Accra, Mahama said the agreement applies to citizens of West African nations covered by a regional visa-free travel pact.
“We were approached by the U.S. to accept third-party nationals who were being removed from the U.S. And we agreed with them that West African nationals were acceptable,” Mahama explained.
According to the president, the first batch of 14 deportees has already arrived in Ghana, including several Nigerians and one Gambian.
The deportation of undocumented migrants to third countries — including nations they have never lived in — has been a hallmark of U.S. President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration agenda. Washington has sought deals with multiple African governments to receive deportees, often amid trade and visa disputes.
In recent months, Rwanda, Eswatini, and South Sudan have also accepted groups of deported migrants from the U.S.
The Ghana agreement comes at a time of strained U.S.-Ghana ties, following increased tariffs on Ghanaian exports and visa restrictions on Ghanaian nationals. Mahama admitted that relations with Washington are “tightening,” but maintained that overall cooperation remains positive.
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Neighboring Nigeria, however, has rejected similar arrangements. In July, Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar disclosed that Washington had pressured Abuja to accept Venezuelan deportees, including prisoners.
“It will be difficult for Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners,” Tuggar said, linking U.S. tariff threats to the deportation issue.
The Trump administration has conducted mass deportations to several countries in Latin America and Africa. In Panama, hundreds of deportees arrived without time to complete asylum applications. In El Salvador, others were transferred directly into the controversial Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison.
With Ghana now part of Washington’s deportation network, analysts warn that tensions over migration policy could further test U.S.-Africa relations.
