Nigeria and Ghana have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in tackling the growing wave of Afrophobic protests and attacks targeting African nationals, with both countries committing to push for the issue to be formally considered at the next African Union (AU) Summit.
The agreement was reached during a bilateral meeting between Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, and Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on the sidelines of the ongoing ECOWAS Mid-Year Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and signed by its spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, the two ministers expressed deep concern over recent Afrophobic protests and attacks against African nationals, particularly in South Africa, warning that such incidents threaten African unity, regional integration and the continent’s free movement agenda.
The ministers jointly condemned xenophobia, Afrophobia, intolerance and violence directed at fellow Africans, describing such actions as inconsistent with the principles of Pan-Africanism and the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
They stressed the need for coordinated regional and continental efforts to address the root causes of the tensions, safeguard the rights and dignity of African migrants, and promote peaceful coexistence among citizens of African countries.
While acknowledging that criminal activities involving migrants should be addressed, the ministers maintained that offenders must be prosecuted in accordance with the rule of law rather than being subjected to mob justice or attacks that often affect innocent and law-abiding African residents.
As part of their resolutions, both countries agreed to work together to ensure that Afrophobia is included on the agenda of the next African Union Summit. They also pledged to engage other AU member states in advocating stronger continental mechanisms, including improved monitoring systems, early warning structures and preventive diplomacy aimed at curbing future incidents.
During the meeting, Ambassador Enikanolaiye commended Ghana for its leadership in promoting Pan-Africanism and championing reparations for Africa and people of African descent over the historical injustices of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and colonialism.
He also congratulated President John Dramani Mahama on the adoption of the landmark United Nations resolution on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Ghana’s successful hosting of the Next Steps High-Level Conference on reparative justice, reaffirming Nigeria’s support for the conference’s resolutions.
In his remarks, Ablakwa congratulated Enikanolaiye on his recent appointment and called for stronger collaboration between Nigeria and Ghana through practical, action-oriented preventive diplomacy. The Ghanaian foreign minister equally appreciated Nigeria’s support for the UN resolution on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and acknowledged the contributions of the Nigerian delegation during the High-Level Conference on reparative justice.
Both ministers reaffirmed the enduring diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and Ghana, pledging continued collaboration within ECOWAS, the African Union and other multilateral institutions to advance peace, regional integration and sustainable development across Africa.
