The Minority Caucus on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament has called for the immediate suspension of Ghana’s agreement with the United States to receive deported West African nationals, describing it as unconstitutional and a threat to the country’s sovereignty.
In a statement issued on Friday, September 12, 2025, the Caucus said the arrangement constitutes “a blatant violation of the Constitution and a dangerous affront to Ghana’s sovereignty and foreign policy independence.”
The matter came to light earlier this week when President John Dramani Mahama disclosed at a media encounter that 14 deportees had already arrived under the deal. Thirteen were Nigerians, while one was a Gambian national. The president justified the move by pointing to ECOWAS protocols, which allow West African citizens to enter Ghana without visas.
However, Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, argued that the agreement violates Article 75 of the 1992 Constitution, which requires parliamentary approval for international agreements.
“The purported agreement with the United States clearly falls within the scope of Article 75 of our Constitution. It is therefore shocking that the current government, knowing the unambiguous requirements of the law, will blatantly defy this constitutional provision and proceed to receive foreign nationals,” the statement said.
The Minority cited the 2016 controversy over the admission of two Yemeni detainees into Ghana, which the Supreme Court later ruled unconstitutional, as precedent.
Beyond the constitutional breaches, the Caucus warned that the deal undermines Ghana’s international reputation, compromises its non-aligned foreign policy stance, and risks misrepresenting the scope of ECOWAS free movement protocols, which cover voluntary travel and not forced deportations arranged by external powers.
They demanded transparency on how deportees are screened, accommodated, and monitored, insisting that Parliament must first ratify the deal before its continuation.
“Government must immediately suspend this arrangement until it has been duly laid before and ratified by Parliament. The Ghanaian people deserve transparency, accountability, and respect for the rule of law,” the statement concluded.
