By Ashiadey Dotse
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, says Ghana will independently vet all individuals the United States intends to deport before accepting them, to ensure they pose no threat to the country’s security.
Mr. Ablakwa explained that the Mahama administration will not compromise the safety and well-being of Ghanaians in its decision to accept a limited number of West African nationals deported from the United States. He stressed that the vetting process will serve as a safeguard against admitting hardened criminals or individuals who may endanger the country.
The Minister noted that many of the deportees were being held in distressing conditions in the United States and risked being sent to unsafe countries. He said Ghana’s decision was guided by humanitarian principles, Pan-African solidarity, and its obligations under the 1992 Constitution and ECOWAS protocols.
Mr. Ablakwa added that the arrangement with the US has been thoroughly discussed by the Cabinet and reviewed by the Attorney General and also indicated that if the understanding develops into a formal agreement, government will seek parliamentary approval in line with Article 75 of the Constitution.
He assured that Ghana has not sought nor received any financial benefit from the arrangement, emphasizing that the decision is purely a moral and humanitarian one. “Our position must be understood as an act of Pan-African empathy. It is not transactional,” he said.
Mr. Ablakwa reaffirmed Ghana’s historic role in championing African solidarity, recalling that the country has long offered refuge to freedom fighters and Africans in distress.
