The National Coordinator for the District Roads Improvement Programme (DRIP), Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has defended government’s decision to receive deportees from the United States, stressing that it was guided by Ghanaian values of hospitality rather than foreign pressure.
He made the remarks in an interview on Thursday, September 25, 2025, amid growing public debate over the country’s acceptance of deported nationals from the US.
So far, 14 deportees have arrived in Ghana, with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, indicating that about 40 more are expected.
The Minority in Parliament has called for the immediate suspension of the arrangement with the US, arguing that the government acted unlawfully by implementing it without parliamentary approval.
According to them, this contravenes a Supreme Court ruling that requires all international agreements including treaties, memoranda of understanding (MoUs), and diplomatic notes to be ratified by Parliament before taking legal effect.
Responding to the criticism, Mr. Vanderpuye explained that the government’s decision was not influenced by external economic pressure but by humanitarian considerations.
He noted that although many of the deportees would have preferred to remain in the United States, even in prison they were displeased with Ghana for accepting them back.
However, he argued that the government had to consider the human factor, pointing out that it would be unjust to allow Ghanaians to be detained in places like Guantánamo Bay under inhumane conditions when the country could instead open its doors to them.
Mr. Vanderpuye further emphasised the need for long-term solutions to reduce migration pressures.
