Ghana receives initial group of West African nationals repatriated from US

President John Mahama has confirmed the arrival of the first batch of West African nationals deported from the United States under a bilateral agreement between the two countries.

In an address at the Presidential Media Encounter at Jubilee House on Wednesday, the President revealed that 14 individuals were part of the initial group, consisting mostly of Nigerians, with one Gambian national included.

‘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,’ President Mahama explained.

The President pointed out that Ghana facilitated the return of Nigerian deportees to their home country by providing bus transportation, in contrast to the Gambian national, who required additional coordination with the Gambian Embassy to secure an air ticket for repatriation.

President Mahama stressed that Ghana’s participation in the deportation arrangement is in line 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 a protocol of free movement, and so any West African is free to come to Ghana and stay for 90 days. And so if they are bringing our colleagues back, we don’t have a problem accepting them,” he said.