Ghana has confirmed the arrival of the first group of West African nationals deported from the United States under a bilateral agreement between the two countries.
President John Mahama, speaking at the Presidential Media Encounter at the Jubilee House on Wednesday, said 14 individuals were flown in as part of the arrangement.
Most of them were Nigerians, while one was a Gambian national.
“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,” the President explained.
He added that Ghana facilitated the return of the Nigerian deportees to their home country by providing bus transportation.
The Gambian national’s case, however, required further coordination with the Gambian Embassy to secure an air ticket for his repatriation.
President Mahama stressed that Ghana’s participation in the arrangement was consistent 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 the protocol of free movement, and so any West African is free to come to Ghana and be able to stay for 90 days. And so if they are bringing our colleagues back, we don’t have a problem accepting them,” he said.
