The Ghana Immigration Service has removed 1,055 migrant beggars from the streets of Accra and Kumasi.
According to the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), the operation followed a directive from the Minister for the Interior, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, who ordered a fresh push against undocumented migrants working as street beggars in the country’s two largest cities.
The individuals, described as illegal immigrants, are currently being transported to their home countries as part of a broader enforcement exercise.
Reports suggest that 662 of those arrested were children.
In related news, Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed has disclosed that Ghana has removed 2,281 migrant beggars and 774 other illegal immigrants involved in transnational organised crime in 2025.
According to the Interior Minister, the Ghana Immigration Service had continued to remove foreign nationals found to be engaging in irregular migration and unlawful activities.
He disclosed that the enforcement exercise had continued into 2026, with the Ghana Immigration Service removing 960 migrant beggars from the streets of Accra and Kumasi and another 186 illegal immigrants by July this year.
Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed argued that Ghana was pursuing the removals while remaining mindful of the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons and the country’s longstanding diplomatic relations with other countries.
Speaking to the public at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, August 24, 2026, the Interior Minister stated, “Before I sequentially account for the work of the Ministry for the Interior thus far, I want to address an issue that has understandably attracted public attention in recent times: the presence of beggars on our streets, especially migrant beggars and others involved in illegal activities.
As Minister, I acknowledge the concerns and anxieties of citizens and wish to assure the public that this is not an issue that has been ignored by the Government or the security services.
Ghana occupies a unique position in our subregion. We are an oasis of peace and stability in a region that has, in recent years, faced significant security and economic challenges. This explains the urge of people from countries experiencing difficulties in the subregion to look to Ghana for refuge. But we also have a duty to protect our borders, maintain public order and safeguard our national security and economic interests.
By the end of 2025, 2,281 migrant beggars and 774 other illegal immigrants involved in transnational organised crimes had been removed from Ghana. By July 2026, a further 960 migrant beggars and 186 other illegal Immigrants had been removed.
We are pursuing these removals fully conscious of Ghana’s obligations under the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, as well as our diplomatic relations and longstanding ties with other countries.
Our objective is to reduce irregular migration and unlawful activities associated with it to the barest minimum, while ensuring that enforcement action is lawful, undertaken by the appropriate authorities, and carried out in a manner that is respectful of human dignity.
Let me be clear: the challenge before us is not a lack of political will, security intelligence, or leadership. It is, principally, a question of scale. I can assure the public that there is a high-level consensus, with earmarked logistical support to increase the scale of the removals and strengthen our borders. Evidence of that will soon be apparent.
We will continue to protect Ghana’s tradition of hospitality, but we will do so alongside a firm commitment to the rule of law, national security and public order”.
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The Ghana Immigration Service has removed 1,055 migrant beggars from the streets of Accra and Kumasi since the start of 2026, following Interior Ministry directives.
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) August 30, 2026
The individuals, described as illegal immigrants, are currently being transported to their home countries as… pic.twitter.com/iz2MDWi7hK
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