The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has told Parliament that Ghana has not requested any financial or material assistance from the United States for accepting third-party deportees into the country. He said the decision to admit stranded West African nationals was taken purely on humanitarian and Pan-African grounds.
“We are Pan-Africanists, and these are our fellow West Africans in distress. We cannot look on as Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana while they are detained and mistreated,” he said. Mr Ablakwa added that under ECOWAS protocols, citizens of West African states can enter Ghana without visas and stay for up to 90 days, making the decision consistent with regional commitments. “We did not ask for a cent from Trump’s America,” he stressed.
He made the remarks in response to a question from the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, who sought clarification on the benefits Ghana derived from the agreement with the US and what security assessments were conducted on the deportees.
Mr Ablakwa explained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs works strictly within Ghana’s legal framework and established inter-agency coordination procedures when admitting foreign nationals, particularly individuals under special circumstances. He said decisions of this nature are not taken unilaterally but follow directives from the President and consultations with security agencies, including the Ministry of the Interior, the National Security Council Secretariat and the Ghana Immigration Service.
He assured Parliament that thorough background checks and threat assessments are carried out before any individual is admitted, and that Ghana has consistently refused entry to persons with criminal records. Ghana’s long-standing commitment to humanitarian obligations, he said, has seen the country host refugees from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Côte d’Ivoire and others over the decades, as well as individuals admitted under special arrangements such as the former Guantanamo Bay detainees.
Mr Ablakwa said Ghana’s reputation as a stable and peaceful nation remains intact because of stringent security protocols, continuous monitoring and strong inter-agency collaboration. The government, he added, remains committed to upholding national security while maintaining its humanitarian posture.
