Ghana has confirmed the arrival of the first group of West African nationals deported from the United States under a new bilateral agreement between Accra and Washington.
Speaking at the Presidential Media Encounter on Wednesday at the Jubilee House, President John Mahama revealed that 14 individuals were flown in as part of the arrangement. The group included mostly Nigerians and 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 explained.
Ghana facilitated the return of the Nigerian deportees by providing bus transportation to their home country. The Gambian national’s case required coordination with the Gambian Embassy to arrange an air ticket for his repatriation.
President Mahama stressed that Ghana’s participation aligns with the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement, which 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.
This development marks the official activation of the broader Accra–Washington agreement on the reception and facilitation of deported West African nationals from the US.
