Ghana has repatriated about 300 of its citizens from South Africa following attacks on foreign nationals, prompting renewed debate about immigration, unemployment and xenophobia in Africa’s most industrialized economy.
Speaking on Dreamz FM’s Breakfast Today program, Researcher Ali Moro said the situation should encourage Africans to reflect on migration and legal documentation rather than react emotionally.
“If you are there illegally, you have a problem,” Mr Moro said. “But if you are legally documented to be there, you don’t have a problem.”
South African citizens have accused undocumented foreign nationals of taking jobs, straining healthcare systems and competing for limited resources. Mr Moro argued that countries have the right to enforce immigration laws, comparing the current developments to deportations carried out in the United States and Europe.
“The U.S. deports people on a daily basis,” he said. “Everybody who is deported is basically people who are undocumented and there illegally.”
Still, Mr Moro condemned the attacks and abuse reported against foreign nationals, saying diplomatic engagement should have been prioritized over violence.
“I strongly condemn the acts that the citizenry is taking,” he said. “There could have been better dialogue through the diplomatic community.”
The researcher also blamed employers for exploiting undocumented migrants as cheap labor, arguing that some businesses prefer foreign workers because they can pay them below legal wage requirements.
He said Ghana’s response should go beyond evacuation by focusing on reintegrating returnees into society and helping them secure meaningful employment.
“We should not just be bringing them home,” Mr Moro said. “We should look at reintegrating them into society very well.”
The repatriation comes amid renewed anti-immigrant sentiment in parts of South Africa, where frustration over unemployment and economic hardship has fueled periodic attacks on foreign nationals.
