The saga of the US West African deportees to Ghana – understanding the facts

1. Ghana signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United States of America to allow some deportees who are West Africans to pass through Ghana to their respective countries.

2. An MOU doesn't qualify for Parliamentary ratification in the same breadth as a Treaty, Agreement or Convention as contemplated in Aricle 75 of the Constitution. This is primarily because an MOU is a loose, non-binding agreement which Ghana can pull out of at anytime without incurring any legal obligations.

3. No financial consideration was involved in this arrangement.

4. All West African Nationals can travel from any part of the world to Ghana without a Visa just as all Ghanaians can travel from any part of the world to any West African country without a Visa for a maximum stay of 90days. This is in conformity with the ECOWAS Protocols that Ghana has committed to as member of ECOWAS.

5. Accepting West Africans in Ghana is therefore nothing new and is in full accord with the existing ECOWAS Treaty obligations.

6. Ghana also has the right to vet all deportees thoroughly before accepting them. Again this is in compliance with the existing WHO protocols.

7. We (Govt) have made it clear that NO deportee with a Criminal Record will be accepted into Ghana.

8. This case therefore bears no semblance in legal character or form to GITMO 2. Nana Bs public threat to go to the Supreme Court on this matter should thus be disregarded as an empty one. It’s a journey to nowhere.

Spiritus Invictus….