The United States has lifted its recent visa restrictions on Ghana, rewarding its role as a hub for deporting West Africans under a controversial Trump administration program.
ACCRA: The United States has reversed its short-lived visa restrictions on Ghana, the West African nation’s foreign minister announced Friday. The move comes as Ghana serves as a key hub for the Trump administration’s policy of deporting migrants to “third countries” where they have no ties.
Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa stated the restrictions were “reversed” following “months of high-level diplomatic negotiations.” The good news was reportedly delivered by U.S. officials on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. “Ghanaians can now be eligible for five-year multiple entry visas and other enhanced consular privileges,” Ablakwa confirmed.
This development follows President John Mahama’s recent acknowledgment that Ghana is accepting West Africans deported by the U.S., a deal struck as bilateral relations were “tightening.” While Accra insists it acts on humanitarian grounds and not as an endorsement of U.S. policy, the visa reversal appears to be a diplomatic reward.
The arrangement has faced criticism, with lawyers reporting that deportees have been held in poor conditions in Ghana before being sent to other nations like Togo. At least 14 West Africans have been deported to Ghana since September, despite having won protection from deportation to their home countries in U.S. courts.