Ghana’s President John Mahama on Thursday pushed back against growing hostility toward migrants, urging world leaders not to normalize “hatred” and “cruelty” in global migration debates.
Speaking before the UN General Assembly, Mahama said Western leaders must stop hiding behind coded language when addressing migration.
“We cannot normalise cruelty. We cannot normalise hatred. We cannot normalise xenophobia and racism,” he declared.
The Ghanaian leader shared stories of African immigrants thriving in the West, stressing that they are not threats.
“I dare say these are not invaders. These are not criminals,” Mahama said.
His remarks came just days after US President Donald Trump delivered a fiery UN speech calling for closed borders, boasting of his mass deportation campaign, and warning European nations that by accepting migrants, “Your countries are going to hell.”
Trump also blamed migrants for rising crime despite US data showing immigrants commit fewer violent crimes than native-born citizens.
Mahama, while not mentioning Trump by name, indirectly countered his rhetoric, pointing to climate change as a key driver of migration from Africa.
“When the desert encroaches on our villages and towns and they become unlivable, we are forced to flee,” he explained, underscoring Africa’s vulnerability despite its minimal contribution to global emissions.
Still, despite his strong defense of migrants, Mahama has cooperated with Washington, including by agreeing to accept non-Ghanaians deported from the United States.
What you should know
Ghana’s President John Mahama used his UN address to defend migrants, countering President Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric.
He stressed that climate change forces many Africans to migrate, urged the world to reject xenophobia, and highlighted the success of African immigrants abroad despite Western hostility.
