Franklin Cudjoe, the president of policy think tank IMANI Africa, has weighed in on the brouhaha surrounding the 14 US deportees arriving in Ghana.
According to Franklin Cudjoe, Ghana has become dangerously xenophobic and quizzed what was wrong with the government accepting West African neighbours who have been deported.
In a social media post on X, Franklin Cudjoe wrote, “What even beats my mind is how dangerously xenophobic we have become. What is wrong with accepting our neighbours who, admittedly, wrongly overstayed their visas and have been brought here? And they are not proven hardened criminals. Why all this viciousness? What is wrong with some of you?”
The IMANI president noted, “Every day, thousands of our West African neighbours enter Ghana through our porous borders illegally. Have we accounted for them? You are lucky these harmless West African deportees are officially being ‘dumped’ here, who can all be identified and fed by whoever is sending them here. And you call yourselves Christians and Muslims? Ever heard of the story of the Good Samaritan in the bible?”
“Stop it already!!”, he boldly added.
It will be recalled that President John Mahama, speaking to the media some weeks ago, revealed that some 14 US deportees arrived in Ghana, with several of them being Nigerians and a Gambian.
He cited the regional bloc Ecowas’s free movement protocol that allows citizens of member states to enter other West African countries without a visa for up to 90 days.
John Mahama further revealed that Ghana had already facilitated the return of the Nigerians to their country, while the Gambian was still being assisted.
He stated, “We were approached by the US to accept third-party nationals who were being removed from the US. And we agreed with them that West African nationals were acceptable”.
“The government of Ghana took the principled and humanitarian decision to accept the limited number of West African nationals deported from the United States under exceptional circumstances, in line with Ghana’s long-standing Pan-African ideals and unwavering commitment to regional solidarity,” President Mahama stated.
He added, “Our decision is grounded purely on humanitarian principles and Pan-African solidarity to offer temporary refuge where needed, to prevent further human suffering, and to maintain our credibility as a responsible regional actor. Ghana’s decision must be understood as an act of Pan-African empathy. It is not transactional like Rwanda, Eswatini, Uganda, or South Sudan”.
Mahama, however, clarified that the arrangement should not be seen as an endorsement of President Donald Trump’s new U.S. immigration policies.
Additionally, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, has disclosed that Ghana is expecting 40 West African deportees from the US to arrive in the coming days.
Speaking on Channel One TV, Ablakwa revealed stated, “I can reveal to you that we’re expecting another 40 in the next few days. We vet them before they come”.
“We didn’t agree to this because we agree with President Trump’s immigration policies. We’re not doing the US a favour. We’re doing our fellow Africans a favour; we’re offering them refuge, hope, and we want them to come back home and be comfortable.
“We solidarised with them when we saw those images, the arrests, the violation of their rights, and their being detained against their will.
“It’s as if nobody wants to take them. It was purely on a humanitarian basis; we did not take any financial benefits. We’re doing this because we want to continue to position Ghana as the Mecca for Africans,” he said.
Meanwhile, some 11 US deportees have sued Ghana over alleged unlawful detention.
The eleven individuals, including three Nigerians, Daniel Osas Aigbosa, Ahmed Animashaun, Ifeanyi Okechukwu, and Taiwo K. Lawson.
Liberian national Kalu John; Togolese nationals Zito Yao Bruno and Agouda Richarla Oukpedzo Sikiratou; Gambian national Sidiben Dawda; and Malians Toure Dianke and Boubou Gassama.
They sued the Attorney-General, the Chief of Defence Staff, and the Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service for violating their fundamental rights.
The Labour Division of the High Court in Accra has fixed Tuesday, September 23, 2025, to hear two ex parte applications.
See the post below:
What even beats my mind is how dangerously xenophobic we have become. What is wrong with accepting our neighbours who admittedly, wrongly overstayed their visas and have been brought here? And they are not proven hardened criminals. Why all these viciousness? What is wrong with…
— Franklin CUDJOE (@lordcudjoe) September 19, 2025