Ghanaian immigration officials have detained over 2,000 undocumented foreign nationals in Accra, in a major operation aimed at dismantling criminal networks and curbing street begging. Authorities said the early Friday raids led to the arrest of 2,241 individuals, including 1,332 children.
In a statement, Ghana Immigration Services said the operation was part of broader efforts to address rising concerns over organised street begging allegedly involving foreign nationals. Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak, in a post on Facebook, said the campaign was launched to counter an activity that “poses a national security risk and damages the image of our country.”
Mubarak noted that many of the individuals had entered Ghana through “unapproved routes, bypassing essential immigration” procedures. Those apprehended came primarily from neighbouring countries, including the junta-led Burkina Faso and Togo, with others originating from Nigeria and beyond.
Authorities plan to carry out security and medical screenings before repatriating the individuals to their countries of origin. Officials have pledged to conduct the process with full respect for human rights, stressing their commitment to professionalism.
The crackdown drew a mixed response from locals. John Gyamfi, a 43-year-old spare parts dealer, supported the move, calling it “long overdue.” He claimed, “Some of these foreigners engage in prostitution and street begging. It’s embarrassing: they come here and people think they are Ghanaians and they embarrass the good name of Ghana. If they go, the streets will be neat again.”
However, some of the detained migrants said their presence in Ghana was driven by humanitarian need rather than crime. Chamsiya Alhassan, a mother from Niger, told AFP as she queued for a bus, “Finding food has become a problem for us. Our husbands and relatives have been killed. We are here only to find something to eat.”
The West African Sahel region has been grappling with rising jihadist violence linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, forcing many to flee from conflict-affected areas into neighbouring countries such as Ghana.
