The United States has reversed its visa restrictions on Ghana as the west African nation emerges as a key deportation hub in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. While Accra maintains it has received nothing in return for taking in deportees, one political scientist told RFI an agreement to take in more west African deportees was the "only plausible explanation".
Earlier this month, Ghanaian PresidentJohn Mahamarevealed that the country was accepting west Africans deported by the United States thefifth African nationto do so.
US PresidentDonald Trumphas made so-called"third-country" deportationsa hallmark of his anti-immigration crackdown, sending people to countries where they have no ties or family.
Accra has insisted it has received nothing in return for taking in the deportees, though Mahama acknowledged that the deal was struck as relations were "tightening" with Washington imposing tariffs as well as visa restrictions in recent months.
"The US visa restrictions imposed onGhana" have been "reversed", Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said.
In a post on X, Ablakwa said the "good news" was delivered by US officials on the sidelines of theUnited NationsGeneral Assembly.
In June, theUnited Statesannounced restrictions on most visas for nationals from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana and Nigeria, restricting them to three months and a single entry.
"Ghanaians can now be eligible for five-year multiple entry visas and other enhanced consular privileges," Ablakwa said.
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Migration deal?
Ablakwa attributed the US turnabout to "months of negotiations" without providing futher details.
At least 14 west Africans have been sent to Ghana since the beginning of September, though neither Accra nor Washington has made details of the arrangement public.
For political analyst Bright Simons, honorary vice-president of the Ghanaian think tankImani, the Trump administrations sudden change of course strongly suggests Ghana has agreed to take in further west African deportees.
This is the only plausible explanation," Simons told RFI. "Ghana has made no announcement suggesting, for instance, a more favourable visa reciprocity policy towards the United States. The question is therefore: what prompted the US government to withdraw its restrictions? The only sensible answer is that Ghana offered something extra and in this case, it was agreeing to take in deportees from third countries.
Simons underlines that Cameroon and Nigeria remain under Washingtons sanctions. Both countries were hit by the same visa restrictions in July and have not since concluded migration agreements with the United States.
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Alleged rights abuses
All of the 14 west Africans Ghana has taken in had won protection from US immigration courts against being deported to their home nations, their lawyers have told RFI. At least four of them have been forwarded on to their country of origin.
After weeks of detention in Ghana, allegedly under military guard and in poor conditions, six of the deportees were abruptly sent toTogolast weekend and left to fend for themselves, Samantha Hamilton,a lawyer for civil rights organisation (AAJC), that has filed a lawsuit in the US on behalf of the migrants,told RFI.
Another plane able to carry 14 people has since arrived in Ghana, though it was unclear how many people were on it.
Ghana has said it is accepting west Africans on humanitarian grounds and that the deal is not an "endorsement" of US immigration policy.
The return to the previous system has come as a relief for many Ghanaians. In 2024, Ghana ranked fifth on the continent for US visa approvals, and second for student visas.
(with AFP)
Originally published on RFI
