Key Points
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Deportees dispute Ghana’s claims of repatriation after forced return.
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Interior Minister Ambrose Dery cites international obligations on removals.
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Amnesty International Ghana demands transparency to protect human rights.
A group of Ghanaians who were deported has publicly denied what the government says about their return, saying that officials are lying about the reasons for their return. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said recently that 77 citizens had been sent back to their home countries from Germany and the United States under bilateral agreements. They called the process humane and orderly.
But some people who came back have told a different story, saying that their removal was done in harsh conditions and that they didn’t get much communication from Ghanaian authorities. Some people said they were held for weeks before being put on flights, which goes against what the ministry said, which was that all deportations were “coordinated and voluntary.”
Deportees disagree with Ghana’s claims of repatriation
Families gathered at Kotoka International Airport in Accra to greet people who had come back after years away. For a lot of people, relief quickly turned into anger after hearing firsthand accounts. Kwame Mensah, 34, had lived in Hamburg for five years. He said that police put him in handcuffs and took him on a deportation flight. “They said we agreed to come home, but that’s not true. “We had to,” he said.
Another deportee, Abena Owusu, who had been working in New York before she was sent back, said she couldn’t get to her things. “I was treated like a criminal.” She told reporters, “Ghana can’t hide this.”
Officials stand up for how the government handles deportation
According to a report by Africa-news, Ambrose Dery, the Minister of the Interior, defended the repatriation program by saying that Ghana had to take back its citizens when foreign governments told them to leave. “It’s not about choice.” Dery said in Accra, “It’s about international obligations.”
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that returnees are getting help packages that include vocational training and startup funds to help them get back into society. She said that the government “takes seriously the dignity of every citizen,” but she also said that rising deportations from Europe and North America are making things harder.
More people demand openness on deportee treatment
People who care about human rights want more information. Genevieve Partington, the head of Amnesty International Ghana, said there should be “a clear investigation into the testimonies of deportees, many of whom say they were treated badly.” She said that ignoring what they went through could make people lose faith in the government.
Professor Peter Quartey, an economist at the University of Ghana, said that if deportees are properly reintegrated, their remittances and skills could be very important for development. “The diaspora sends more than $4 billion a year. He said, “If you don’t handle repatriation properly, you could hurt that lifeline.”
The disagreement shows how hard it is for Ghana to find the right balance between keeping its promises to the world and protecting the dignity of its returning citizens. For a lot of deportees, the issue isn’t going home; it’s how their story is being told.
