President John Dramani Mahama has announced that Ghana has received the first group of West African nationals deported from the United States under a bilateral agreement between the two countries.
During a media engagement at the Jubilee House on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, the President disclosed that 14 individuals were flown in as part of the arrangement.
He stated that several of the individuals were Nigerian nationals, along with one Gambian national.
“We were approached by the US to accept third-party nationals who were being removed from the US, and then we agreed with them that West African nationals were acceptable, because all our fellow West Africans don’t need a visa to come to our country. So if they decided to travel from the US to Accra, they don’t need a visa anyway. So if you are bringing our colleague West Africans back, that’s okay,” the President disclosed.
He further indicated that Ghana provided bus transportation to facilitate the return of the Nigerian deportees to their home country. However, he revealed that Ghana would have to coordinate with the Gambian Embassy to secure an air ticket for the repatriation of their citizen.
President Mahama explained that the decision to accept the deportees was consistent with the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement. The Protocol allows citizens of member states to enter and reside in other West African countries without a visa for up to 90 days.
“West Africa has the protocol of free movement, and so any West African is free to come to Ghana and be able to stay for 90 days. And so if they are bringing our colleagues back, we don’t have a problem accepting them,” he said.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
