Ghana is set to receive another batch of deportees from the United States in the coming days, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has said.
The group, estimated at 40 individuals, will be repatriated as part of ongoing US immigration enforcement actions.
In an interview on Citi TV, Ablakwa explained that the returnees will be vetted before arrival.
He said “I can reveal to you that we’re expecting another 40 in the next few days. We vet them before they come. We didn’t agree to this because we support President Trump’s immigration policies. We’re not doing the US a favour. We’re doing our fellow Africans a favour; we’re offering them refuge, hope, and we want them to come back home and be comfortable.”
His remarks come after ongoing concerns from the Minority, accusing the government of bypassing parliamentary approval, urging the government to immediately suspend an agreement with the United States under which Ghana has begun receiving deportees of West African origin.
Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, argued that the deal violates Article 75 of the 1992 Constitution, which requires that all international treaties, agreements, or conventions be laid before Parliament for ratification before they can be executed.
At a media encounter on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, President John Dramani Mahama disclosed that the government had agreed to facilitate the return of West African nationals deported from the United States.
He revealed that an initial batch of 14 deportees had already arrived in Ghana and, at their request, were subsequently transported to their respective home countries.
The government has since clarified that the arrangement is covered by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the US that does not require parliamentary ratification.
Ablakwa, speaking on the development, emphasised that the decision is based solely on humanitarian grounds.
“We solidarised with them when we saw those images, the arrests, the violation of their rights, and their being detained against their will. It’s as if nobody wants to take them. It was purely on a humanitarian basis; we did not take any financial benefits. We’re doing this because we want to continue to position Ghana as the Mecca for Africans,” he explained.
