Ghana has escalated its diplomatic response to a renewed wave of xenophobic attacks targeting Ghanaians and other West African nationals in South Africa, as civil society groups add their voices to demands for structural protection of African migrants.
Ghana summoned South Africa’s envoy on 23 April 2026, formally expressing strong concern over videos circulating widely on social media showing Ghanaian residents being confronted, asked to prove their legal status, and told to leave the country. Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa cited an incident in KwaZulu-Natal as particularly egregious, describing the treatment of a law-abiding Ghanaian resident as an attack on his dignity and rights.
The government subsequently announced the relocation of Emmanuel Asamoah, the Ghanaian at the centre of a viral attack by a fringe vigilante group, after confirming he was a legal resident holding valid documentation. Ablakwa said he spoke directly to Asamoah and that he was in good condition despite sustained threats.
South Africa’s police ministry responded by promising to identify, apprehend, and prosecute anyone found participating in or inciting xenophobic acts.
Ablakwa also held a telephone conversation with South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, who expressed empathy with the victims and pledged full-scale investigations into the incidents.
At a Ghana-Sierra Leone diplomatic engagement in Accra, Ablakwa called on all African leaders to condemn the attacks and demanded a permanent structural solution rather than temporary assurances. He recalled that Ghana provided refuge, scholarships, and passports to South African freedom fighters during the apartheid era and extended financial support to the African National Congress (ANC), stressing that such sacrifice must not be forgotten.
The Institute of Governance Ethics and Religion Africa (IGER Africa) added its voice to the condemnation, issuing a statement urging South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to acknowledge the continental solidarity that supported his country’s liberation, and calling on the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to demand immediate protection for West African citizens in South Africa. The Accra-based think tank described the attacks as a betrayal of the Ubuntu philosophy and argued that internal African division undermines the continent’s moral standing, including on issues such as reparations.
Nigeria’s government, through the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, also issued an advisory urging Nigerian business owners in South Africa to temporarily close their operations following violent anti-foreigner protests in East London, Cape Town, Durban, and parts of KwaZulu-Natal.
