A security expert has revealed that roughly 2,000 people entered Ghana illegally over a period of less than 17 months, raising fresh questions about how well the nation is monitoring who crosses into its territory. Dr. Mustapha Abdallah, a Senior Research Fellow at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), cited the figure while speaking on the sidelines of a meeting on border security management held in Senegal.
The numbers, according to Dr. Abdallah, were presented by a Ghanaian border officer and covered the period between March 2025 and July 2026, showing that around 2,000 illegal migrants had been recorded in the country. He called for tighter monitoring at Ghana's entry points, emphasizing that the country's priority should be ensuring that everyone coming in is doing so legally.
Dr. Abdallah stated that the first and foremost need was to man the borders properly so that those entering the country are legal migrants or people permitted by law to be present. He noted that instability in the Sahel region is driving the movement of people, with some fleeing conflict-affected areas in search of refuge in Ghana.
However, Dr. Abdallah was careful to note that individuals fleeing instability should not automatically be treated as extremists or terrorists simply because they are crossing in from conflict-affected areas. He explained that both Ghanaian and international law require the country to protect people fleeing threats in their home nations.
Ghana shares long land borders with countries including Burkina Faso, Togo, and Côte d'Ivoire, several of which have faced growing insecurity linked to extremist violence in the wider Sahel region. An increase in unmonitored crossings raises practical concerns for local communities near border towns, national security agencies, and the migrants themselves.
The disclosure comes from a regional meeting on border security management in Senegal, where a Ghanaian border officer presented the migration data. It is not yet clear whether Ghana's Immigration Service or other state agencies plan to formally verify or act on the figures cited at the Senegal meeting.
The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) is a Ghana-based institution that trains military, police, and civilian personnel from across Africa in peacekeeping, security, and conflict management, and regularly conducts research on regional security issues including border management and migration.
Key points
- About 2,000 illegal migrants entered Ghana between March 2025 and July 2026.
- The migrants are part of a larger trend of people fleeing instability in the Sahel region.
- Dr. Abdallah is urging tighter monitoring at Ghana's entry points to ensure that everyone coming in is doing so legally.
