Concerns are continuously being raised about Ghana’s arrangement with the United States to host third-country nationals deported from America, with people warning of abuse of power by the Executive.
Several have questioned the depth of the agreement after Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa revealed that 14 West African deportees had been accepted into Ghana, with 40 more expected.
According to Mr. Ablakwa, the deportees were only to be accommodated temporarily before being sent to their home countries.
He defended the arrangement as an administrative Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that did not require parliamentary ratification.
The Minority Caucus in Parliament as well as the Deputy Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee have today both raised concerns on the matter.
At a press conference on September 23 in Accra, Lands and Natural Resources Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor, speaking on behalf of the caucus, raised strong objections.
“The Supreme Court categorized MoUs as being part of the gamut of instruments pursuant to Article 75 which requires Parliamentary ratification,” he stated.
He further went on to say, “With the greatest of respect to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, I think on this particular occasion he is flatly wrong.”
He added that if Parliament had reviewed the agreement, safeguards could have been built in to protect the country’s interests.
Deputy Ranking Member, Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Agey also expressed unease about the lack of transparency.
“We do not even have an understanding of what it is that the Minister is calling an MoU. We do not even know what is the extent of it,” he lamented.
He added that they do not have the details and are unaware whether the MoU places an obligation on the country or not.
“And that is why we are worried,” he expressed.
The Minority is warning that the agreement risks undermining Ghana’s sovereignty and possibly damaging its reputation by aligning with US immigration policies.
