Ghana has officially joined the list of African nations cooperating with the Trump administration’s controversial deportation programme, opening its doors to migrants expelled from the United States.
President John Dramani Mahama confirmed that a group of 14 deportees, among them Nigerians and one Gambian, had already arrived in Accra as per Reuters
According to him, the Ghanaian government immediately facilitated their transfer back to their respective home countries, underscoring the nation’s role as a temporary transit hub rather than a final destination.
Mahama did not set any limits on how many deportees Ghana would accept, but defended the arrangement by pointing to the country’s regional obligations.
“We were approached by the U.S. to accept third-party nationals who were being removed from the U.S., and 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,” he told reporters.
His remarks highlighted the ease of movement within West Africa, while also signalling Accra’s willingness to cooperate with Washington’s push to expand deportation partnerships.
Trump’s deportation pact with Africa
The Trump administration has intensified its efforts to strike such deals with African governments, aiming to deter irregular migration through high-profile removals to so-called “third countries.”
During a July 2025 meeting at the White House with the presidents of Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, and Liberia, U.S. President Donald Trump floated the idea of African nations hosting migrants, presenting it as part of broader discussions on trade, security, and development.
While several nations, Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan and Eswatini, have agreed to similar arrangements, others, such as Nigeria, have resisted, arguing that the deals would not be politically or legally feasible.
The roll-out has nonetheless been swift: in July, five migrants were deported to Eswatini and eight to South Sudan, followed in August by seven arrivals in Rwanda after Kigali agreed to take in as many as 250 deportees over time.
Yet, the policy has drawn criticism from migrant advocates and human rights groups who warn that many deportees face uncertain or even dangerous conditions in their host or transit countries.
The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who fought deportation amid plans to send him either to Uganda or Eswatini, exemplifies the growing tensions.
His lawyers argued that the U.S. government had attempted to pressure him into a plea deal by threatening to relocate him to countries where he feared persecution.
Against this backdrop, Ghana’s entry onto the list of Trump’s “deportee host countries” underscores the deepening geopolitical implications of the programme.
It also raises questions about how far African states are willing to cooperate with Washington’s immigration agenda and what safeguards, if any, will be in place for the deportees themselves.
