Interior Minister Reveals Ghana Removed Over 3,000 Irregular Migrants in 2025

Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed has disclosed that Ghana removed 2,281 migrant beggars and 774 other illegal immigrants linked to transnational organised crime in 2025.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, August 24, 2026, Mr Muntaka said the Ghana Immigration Service had intensified efforts to address irregular migration and unlawful activities involving foreign nationals.

“By the end of 2025, the Ghana Immigration Service had 2,281 migrant beggars on our streets and 774 other illegal immigrants involved in transnational organised crime that had been removed from Ghana,” he stated.

He added that the enforcement exercise had continued into 2026, with 960 migrant beggars removed from the streets of Accra and Kumasi as of July. During the same period, another 186 illegal immigrants were also removed from the country.

The Interior Minister said the government was carrying out the removals while taking into account Ghana’s obligations under the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, as well as the country’s diplomatic relations and longstanding ties with other nations.

“We are pursuing this removal fully conscious of Ghana’s obligation under the ECOWAS Protocol on free movement of persons as well as the diplomatic relations and long-standing ties we and other countries have,” Mr Muntaka said.

He explained that the government’s goal was to reduce irregular migration and unlawful activities associated with it while ensuring that enforcement operations were conducted within the law and with respect for human dignity.

“Our objective is to reduce irregular migration and unlawful activities associated with it to the barest minimum, while ensuring that enforcement actions are lawful, undertaken by the appropriate authorities and carried out in a manner that is respectful of human dignity,” he said.

Mr Muntaka also dismissed suggestions that the government lacked the political will, security intelligence or leadership to tackle irregular migration.

According to him, the major challenge was the level of skills and operational capacity available to effectively deal with the situation.

“Let me be clear that the challenge before us is not a lack of political will, security, intelligence or leadership. It is principally a question of skill,” he stated.

He assured the public that government had reached a high-level consensus to provide the necessary logistical support to strengthen the relevant agencies and expand the scale of migration enforcement.

“And I can assure the public that there is a high-level consensus that with earmarked logistical support to increase the scale of the removals and strengthen our bodies, evidence of that will soon be apparent,” he added.

The Interior Minister said Ghana would continue to uphold its tradition of hospitality while maintaining a firm stance on national security, public order and respect for the rule of law.