Unrestrained influx of migrants into our country - A Train wreck in slow motion
The unmitigated influx of migrants into our country continues unabated.
They once arrived quietly and surreptitiously, but like a locust invasion, they now descend in large numbers.
Slowly but steadily, migrants—especially from our West African neighbours—continue to pour into our country in droves.
What used to be a normal phenomenon has now gotten completely out of hand.
The situation has reached an all-time high, almost hitting a crescendo.
The levels attained are deeply disturbing and call for immediate and decisive action to curtail what appears to be a ticking time bomb.
It is now commonplace to see large fleets of cross-country buses ferrying huge numbers of migrants into the country daily from West African countries such as Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Burkina Faso, among others.
In addition, Chinese and Indian nationals continue to arrive, largely because illegal mining—popularly known as galamsey—continues to thrive.
These migrants easily integrate into our society and permeate every nook and cranny of our rapidly growing communities.
What I find particularly intriguing is how fleets of cross-country vehicles carrying these foreigners effortlessly cross our borders and security checkpoints in the full glare of customs, immigration, police, and other security operatives.
It is an undeniable fact that, due to traditional Ghanaian hospitality, our country has since time immemorial been a safe haven for people of diverse backgrounds.
Foreigners have always lived among us, and therefore their presence today is not entirely new. Indeed, it was the overwhelming presence of foreigners that compelled Prime Minister Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia to issue the Aliens Compliance Order on November 18, 1969.
This policy mandated all undocumented immigrants—mainly from Nigeria, Togo, Mali, and Burkina Faso—to leave Ghana within fourteen days, leading to mass deportations and significant social disruption. Unfortunately, the situation today is far more dire than it was in 1969 and thus requires urgent action.
ECOWAS protocol
The ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, established in 1979, grants citizens of member states the right to enter, reside, and establish businesses in other member countries.
This was intended to foster regional economic integration by facilitating the movement of people, goods, and services, as well as harmonising laws and administrative practices across member states.
What this means is that our West African neighbours have the right to enter and exit our country. However, the multi-million-dollar question remains: must this freedom be exercised to our detriment?
Our major highways—already characterised by slow vehicular traffic—are now littered with migrants, mainly from the West African sub-region, whose primary activity is begging.
In many cases, they beg with impunity, which I find utterly untenable. How does one migrate from one country to another solely to beg?
This is reprehensible, totally unacceptable, and must be condemned in no uncertain terms.
Sadly, most of these beggars appear unkempt, emaciated, and dishevelled, clearly in need of urgent medical care and food.
They often have no decent places of abode, resorting to makeshift shelters such as uncompleted buildings and loitering around nearby mosques.
Their women usually carry babies strapped to their backs with younger children in tow.
This raises serious child safety concerns as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
These children are often used as decoys to attract sympathy and donations from unsuspecting citizens, which constitutes a clear case of child abuse.
In my view, such children need urgent intervention and rescue by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Although prostitution remains illegal in Ghana, many immigrants—particularly from Nigeria—openly offer their services without restraint, giving the impression that the practice is sanctioned by law.
These so-called “ladies of the night” now ply their trade even in broad daylight, in the full glare of our security agencies.
Consequently, numerous brothels have sprung up across the country to facilitate prostitution.
These brothels are largely occupied by Nigerian prostitutes, further entrenching their dominance in the trade.
This situation exposes the country to the heightened risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV/AIDS, potentially eroding the gains made in the long-standing fight against the disease.
Alarmingly, some of these immigrant sex workers are minors who require immediate rescue.
Furthermore, some immigrants are deeply involved in the open sale of illicit drugs, including narcotics and aphrodisiacs, making these substances readily available in our markets.
This partly explains the rising incidence of drug abuse among the youth. Drugs such as marijuana (popularly known as wee), cocaine, tramadol, and their derivatives—including alcoholic beverages laced with wee and sold under brand names like “Fa mu dɛ,” “Lacka,” and “Egbelensein”—are openly sold without fear of arrest.
These illicit substances are rapidly destroying the future of many young people. Some of the peddlers are immigrants who operate with the tacit support of unscrupulous citizens.
Key driver
One of the key drivers of illegal mining (galamsey) is the availability of cheap labour provided by immigrants from neighbouring countries, especially Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali.
It is common knowledge that galamsey-endemic communities host large immigrant populations, including Chinese and Indians who are embedded in the illegal mining value chain.
While West African migrants provide cheap labour, Chinese and Indian nationals are heavily involved as gold dealers, equipment suppliers, and financiers.
They sustain galamsey alongside their Ghanaian collaborators.
Unless we decisively flush out all illegal immigrants involved in the galamsey value chain, the fight against illegal mining will remain elusive and ultimately futile.
Additionally, some immigrants—particularly Nigerians—are deeply involved in scamming unsuspecting citizens.
In collaboration with local accomplices, they engage in mobile money fraud, romance scams, and online trading fraud, robbing hardworking people of thousands of Ghana cedis.
Others are involved in the production of fake products, especially counterfeit alcoholic beverages and pharmaceuticals, which find their way into supermarkets and markets. These fake products pose serious health risks, including liver, kidney, and heart diseases.
The sale of mobile phones and accessories in our cities has largely been taken over by immigrants, again mostly Nigerians, who fiercely compete with locals.
Shoe mending, tailoring services (Oyeadeyie), and scrap dealing—once dominated by Ghanaians—are now controlled by immigrants. In commerce, immigrants often outbid locals for shop spaces, leaving citizens with little or no opportunity to compete fairly.
Urgent steps
In light of the above, I appeal to the government, through the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and other stakeholders, to take urgent steps to sanitise the system by strictly enforcing existing immigration laws.
I am not opposed to well-documented immigrants engaging in legitimate businesses and contributing to national development. However, undocumented immigrants who foment trouble must be dealt with decisively.
If action is delayed, the likelihood of some of them forming armed gangs to terrorise innocent citizens cannot be ruled out, especially given reports of their involvement in armed robbery.
While we may not be able to prevent ECOWAS citizens from entering our country, we can ensure due diligence by strengthening border controls, patrols, and surveillance.
Effective screening and vetting processes must be implemented at entry points, at the immigrants’ own cost, including proof of health status, accommodation, and employment.
There must also be a crackdown on those who enter through unapproved routes.
Pregnant women, lactating mothers, and immigrants with toddlers—who have no clear means of livelihood—should be denied entry to prevent human rights abuses and undue strain on public resources.
The goal is not to stifle free movement but to ensure responsible and humane migration management.
Recently, some immigrants were rounded up from the streets of Accra and repatriated at the expense of the taxpayer.
This reactive approach is costly and unsustainable. Government must adopt a proactive, well-defined policy framework to address this growing challenge.
Finally, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, together with ECOWAS, must intensify diplomatic engagement to address the root causes of migration—poverty, conflict, and political instability in neighbouring countries.
Let us rid our country of illegal immigrants before they become an unbearable burden, for as the sages say, “a stitch in time saves nine.”
May God continue to bless our homeland Ghana and make her great and strong.
The writer is a freelancer from Aboso in the Prestea Huni Valley Municipality of the Western Region.
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