Ghana has agreed to receive West African nationals deported from the United States, President John Mahama confirmed on Wednesday.

Speaking to journalists in Accra, Mahama said the agreement was reached under the framework of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which permits visa-free travel among member states.

“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,” Mahama explained.

According to him, the first batch of 14 deportees including several Nigerians and one Gambian has already arrived in Ghana. However, he declined to specify how many more deportees the country has agreed to take in.

The deal comes as part of the US administration’s broader immigration policy under President Donald Trump, which includes deporting undocumented immigrants to third countries, sometimes to nations they have never lived in. In recent months, Rwanda, Eswatini, and South Sudan have also accepted groups of undocumented migrants from the US.

Observers note that the agreement with Ghana coincides with heightened trade tensions, including increased tariffs on Ghanaian exports and visa restrictions targeting Ghanaian citizens. Despite this, Mahama maintained that relations with Washington remain “positive,” even as he admitted they are “tightening.”

Meanwhile, Nigeria has resisted pressure to accept third-party deportees. Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar told Channels Television in July that the US had asked Nigeria to accept Venezuelan nationals, including prisoners. “It will be difficult for Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners,” Tuggar said, suggesting that recent tariff threats may be linked to Nigeria’s refusal.

The Trump administration has also carried out large-scale deportations to Latin America, with reports of individuals sent to Panama without adequate time to process asylum applications, and hundreds transferred to El Salvador where many are being held in the controversial Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison.