GIS records over 33,000 Sahel nationals entering Ghana in 3rd quarter of 2026

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has disclosed that a total of 33,111 nationals from Sahel countries entered Ghana in the third quarter of 2026, while 38,873 departed within the same period.

The statistics, covering July to September, indicate that departures exceeded arrivals during the period under review.

The figures were presented on behalf of the Volta Regional Command by DSI Emmanuel Kofi Azadze, Officer in Charge of the Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Department, together with Senior Inspector Daniel Adusei of the Enforcement Unit.

He briefed the Ho Municipal Assembly on the movement of Sahelian nationals into the Municipality during its 3rd General Assembly meeting held in Ho on Thursday, October 29.

Mr. Azadze clarified that the figures represent only a fraction of the total travel statistics, extracted specifically to highlight movements of Sahelian nationals among other nationalities.

He disclosed that Sahelian nationals commonly encountered at the country's borders include Burkinabes, Chadians, Cameroonians, Mauritanians, Nigeriens, Nigerians, Senegalese and Sudanese nationals who enter Ghana for business and other purposes.

Touching on reasons for migration, he cited the ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol, to which Ghana and most Sahelian countries are signatories, noting that just as Ghanaians travel to neighbouring countries for trade, other ECOWAS citizens have the right to enter Ghana when they meet entry requirements.

He further explained that family ties, Ghana's Citizenship Act of 2000 which allows a person who can trace one parent's lineage to Ghana to claim citizenship, as well as environmental factors such as drought and desertification in the Sahel, drive migration, stressing the need for collaboration between immigration officers and border communities to manage concerns humanely and foster unity.