Ghana’s President John Mahama has said the country has begun accepting West African nationals, including Nigerians deported from the United States.

The BBC reports that Mahama, who announced the decision on Wednesday, said it followed a bilateral agreement with Washington and was guided by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocol on free movement.

The president disclosed that a first batch of 14 deportees, comprising Nigerians, a Gambian, and other West Africans, had already arrived in Accra. He added that Ghana facilitated the return of the Nigerians to their home country by bus, while the Gambian was still being assisted to travel back.

“We were approached by the US to accept thirdparty nationals who were being removed from the US,” Mahama said. “And we agreed with them that West African nationals were acceptable. All our fellow West African nationals don’t need visas to come to our country.”

Mahama acknowledged that Ghana-US relations have been strained by tariffs on Ghanaian exports and visa restrictions on its nationals but described the partnership as “still positive” despite recent tensions.

The arrangement comes amid Washington’s intensified deportation campaign under President Donald Trump, who has sought to transfer migrants to “third countries” as part of his hardline immigration policy.

The US has deported seven migrants to Rwanda, five to Eswatini, and eight to South Sudan in recent months. Rights groups have condemned the practice, arguing that deporting non-nationals to unfamiliar countries violates their rights and exposes them to safety risks.

Some African countries, including Nigeria, have rejected Washington’s request to accept deportees from other countries. In July, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said the Federal Government would not bow to pressure to take in thirdcountry deportees, citing national security and economic concerns.