Story By: Juliet Akosua Danquah
Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has defended the government’s decision not to seek parliamentary approval before agreeing to accept African nationals deported from the United States into Ghana, insisting the arrangement is based on a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) and therefore does not require ratification.
Ghana has received 54 African deportees, with 14 arriving in the first batch and an additional 40, after offering to serve as a temporary host for individuals from the West African sub-region who were removed from the U.S. The government maintains that the decision is purely humanitarian.
However, members of the Minority have criticised the arrangement, arguing that Parliament should have approved the process before implementation. Addressing the House on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, Ablakwa said that MoUs of this nature are part of the ministry’s routine diplomatic engagements and, because they are not legally binding, they do not fall within the category of agreements requiring parliamentary scrutiny.
“If you look at the work we do at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, on a daily basis, we could sign about 50 MoUs. If we were to bring MoUs—which are not legally binding—to Parliament, it would be impractical,” he explained. “Our foreign policy will grind to a halt, and we will not be able to function. Notes of understanding, note verbale, cannot be treated as agreements or treaties, as we have been well advised by the Attorney General.”
Ablakwa, who is also the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, further revealed that the Attorney General has notified the ministry of a legal action filed by citizen activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor in connection with the matter. “As such, we should be guided in our public discussions,” he cautioned. The minister reaffirmed that Ghana’s acceptance of the deportees does not compromise national sovereignty and is consistent with the country’s longstanding humanitarian commitments within the sub-region.
