The Minority Caucus on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament has demanded the immediate suspension of what it calls an unconstitutional agreement between the Government of Ghana and the United States to make Ghana a receiving point for West African nationals deported from the U.S.
According to the group, reports indicate that 14 deportees have already been received in Ghana under this arrangement. The Minority insists that the government must disclose when the deal was signed, whether it has been laid before Parliament, and what safeguards are in place.
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“The Ghanaian people deserve transparency and accountability on a matter that so directly implicates our sovereignty, our constitutional order, and our foreign policy,” the Caucus said in a strongly worded statement.
Ghana-US deportee deal
Ranking Member of the Committee and MP for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, who signed the statement, argue that the agreement violates Article 75 of the 1992 Constitution, which requires parliamentary ratification of all treaties and international agreements executed by the President.
“The purported agreement with the United States clearly falls within the scope of Article 75, as it imposes specific obligations on Ghana. Yet, the government has chosen to operationalise it without parliamentary approval,” he stressed.
He referenced the Supreme Court rulings in Banful v. Attorney-General and Brogya Gyamfi v. Attorney-General as binding precedents affirming Parliament’s role.
He compared the move to the 2016 GITMO 2 saga, where the Mahama administration admitted two Yemeni terror suspects without parliamentary approval, a decision later declared unconstitutional.
“This latest move repeats the same constitutional disregard that the court struck down in the GITMO 2 case,” the statement noted.
Beyond the legal concerns, the Minority warned that Ghana’s reputation and national security could suffer.
“Ghana has, over decades, built a proud reputation for principled diplomacy rooted in non-alignment, regional solidarity, and respect for human rights. To serve as a receiving point for U.S. deportees risks aligning us with immigration policies that are widely criticised as harsh and discriminatory,” Hon Jinapor argued.
The Minority called on the government to halt the deal immediately and ensure that no future agreements of this nature are implemented without prior parliamentary approval.
“We demand that no future agreements of this nature be implemented without prior ratification by Parliament, in strict compliance with the dictates of our Constitution,” the statement declared.