The United States government under President Donald Trump has deported 14 West African migrants — including Nigerians and a Gambian — to Ghana.
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama confirmed the development on Wednesday, stating that his government facilitated the return of the deportees to their respective countries.
“A group of 14 deportees, including Nigerians and one Gambian, have already arrived in Ghana. We assisted in transporting the Nigerians back home by bus, while arrangements are being made to return the Gambian,” Mahama said at a press briefing.
He explained that the U.S. approached Ghana to accept third-party nationals as part of its deportation program, and Ghana agreed due to the existing visa-free policy for West African citizens.
Mahama, however, described U.S.-Ghana relations as “tightening,” citing increased tariffs on Ghanaian goods and visa restrictions, though he stressed that overall relations remain positive.
The Trump administration has repeatedly sought African nations’ cooperation in accepting deportees as part of a broader immigration deterrence strategy. In recent months, deportees have been sent to countries such as Eswatini, South Sudan, and Rwanda — the latter agreeing to accept up to 250 migrants.
Nigeria has openly resisted such arrangements, insisting it will not take in third-country deportees from the U.S., while rights groups have condemned the policy as a violation of migrants’ basic rights
