Ghana National have welcomed Nigerian deportees who were sent back from the United States of America after president Donald Trump’s strict Immigration policies.
The deportees include other African countries as announced by President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday.
As reported by Reuters, the first group of 14 deportees, which includes Nigerians, a Gambian, and others, has already arrived in Accra, where Ghanaian officials are assisting them in returning to their respective countries.
Mahama stated that the U.S. government requested Ghana to accept third-party nationals who were removed from the U.S., and Ghana agreed since citizens of West African countries do not need visas to enter.
“We accepted because West Africans don’t need a visa to come to Ghana anyway,” Mahama noted.
This arrangement is part of the Trump administration’s broader deportation strategy, which involves sending migrants to “third countries,” despite concerns from human rights organizations.
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Deportees have also been sent to countries like Eswatini, South Sudan, and Rwanda under this policy.
In contrast, Nigeria has declined similar requests from the U.S., with Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar stating in July that Nigeria would not accept deportees from outside the country due to security and economic concerns.
President Trump had previously met with five West African leaders from Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal at the White House on July 9, where a significant topic of discussion was encouraging them to accept deportees.
