Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has dismissed claims by the Minority in Parliament that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ghana and the United States on the deportation of some West African nationals required parliamentary ratification.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Mahama Ayariga clarified that the government had acted within its constitutional mandate and on the basis of sound legal advice.
“The issue of the need for parliamentary ratification of the agreement with the United States to receive ECOWAS citizens being repatriated back to the sub-region has been widely debated. If the appropriate legal advice to this house is that we should ratify it, we will consider so,” he stated.
The Majority Leader further defended the government’s decision, stressing that it was taken in Ghana’s best interest, and had already produced tangible benefits — notably, the lifting of visa restrictions previously imposed by the United States.
“I can say with authority that the Majority approves of the arrangement and highly commends the government for negotiating the removal of the U.S. visa restrictions on Ghanaians. Given our business and social ties to America, these restrictions were going to be extremely burdensome to many Ghanaian businesses and families,” he said.
The Minority Caucus had earlier raised constitutional objections, insisting that any agreement involving Ghana’s foreign relations must be brought before Parliament for ratification in line with Article 75 of the Constitution.
Meanwhile, civil society group Democracy Hub has filed a suit at the Supreme Court, seeking a judicial interpretation on whether the MoU violates constitutional provisions on international agreements.
The deportation MoU, signed earlier this year, forms part of a broader diplomatic initiative between Ghana and the United States to facilitate the return of undocumented West African migrants residing in the U.S.
According to government officials, the deal aligns with ECOWAS protocols and aims to ensure orderly and humane repatriation while strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.
