Ghana has reaffirmed its commitment to Pan-African solidarity and humanitarian principles following the deportation of a group of West Africans from the United States to Accra.
The country has assured citizens that strict safeguards have been put in place to protect national security.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister for Foreign Affairs, delivering a performance report at the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday, said the decision by President John Dramani Mahama’s administration to accept a limited number of West African nationals was not transactional, but guided by Ghana’s historic role as a haven for Africans in distress.
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President Mahama had earlier disclosed during a media engagement on September 10 that 14 deportees had already arrived in Ghana.
They included nationals of Nigeria and The Gambia, who have since been assisted to return to their countries.
Mr Ablakwa explained that the individuals were part of a group the U.S. government requested Ghana to accommodate temporarily.
He said the government agreed on condition that only West African nationals would be accepted, and only after a thorough vetting process to confirm they posed no threat to national security.
“We have put in place strict safeguards to ensure that convicted hardened criminals cannot be brought into our country. The Mahama Administration will never compromise the safety and wellbeing of Ghanaians,” the Minister stressed.
According to him, the decision was also influenced by humanitarian concerns, as many of the deportees had been detained under harsh conditions in the U.S. and faced the risk of being deported to countries lacking stability, security, and human rights protections.
“Ghana’s action was guided solely by our moral responsibility, our legal obligations under the 1992 Constitution and ECOWAS protocols, and our Pan-African track record in championing the rights of all Africans,” he said.
Mr Ablakwa dismissed speculation that Ghana had received financial or material benefits in exchange for accepting the deportees, stressing that “our decision is grounded purely in humanitarian principle and Pan-African solidarity – to offer temporary refuge where needed, to prevent further human suffering, and to maintain our credibility as a responsible regional actor.”
The Foreign Affairs Minister further emphasised that the arrangement with the U.S. was not a full-blown agreement, but a limited understanding subject to Cabinet approval and legal advice.
If elevated into a formal agreement, he said, Parliament would be engaged in accordance with Article 75 of the Constitution.
“President Mahama carried out full disclosure at his media encounter because he is a staunch believer in transparency and accountability – in addition, he has absolutely nothing to hide,” he noted.
Ghana’s move comes amid increasing debate across Africa about how countries should respond to deportation requests from Western nations.
Mr Ablakwa drew comparisons with countries such as Rwanda, Uganda, Eswatini, and South Sudan, which have also opened their doors to Africans displaced abroad, and that “Like them, Ghana is standing up for our brothers and sisters in distress and not endorsing the immigration policies of the Trump administration,” he clarified.
The Minister placed the decision in historical context, recalling Ghana’s longstanding tradition of hosting African freedom fighters and offering refuge to people of African descent throughout the years.
“Since the days of our forbears, Ghana has hosted freedom fighters, welcomed all Africans in the diaspora, offered them safe haven, resources, citizenship and our passports – that is why we are seen as the mecca of Pan-Africanism, we shall not depart from that inspiring track record,” he affirmed.
He assured Ghanaians that while the country would continue to uphold its obligations under Pan-African and ECOWAS frameworks, it would never compromise on the safety and wellbeing of its citizens.
“The nation must understand this as an act of Pan-African empathy, not as a transactional arrangement,” Mr Ablakwa emphasized.
GNA
