Sierra Leone has agreed to receive Nigerians and other West African nationals being deported from the United States under a new immigration arrangement.
The country’s Foreign Minister, Timothy Kabba, confirmed that the agreement allows Sierra Leone to take up to 300 deportees from ECOWAS member states each year, with a limit of 25 arrivals per month.
He explained that the first batch under the arrangement is expected to arrive on May 20, carrying about 25 people from several West African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, and Guinea.
The policy is part of a broader United States effort to speed up deportations of migrants, including sending some individuals to third countries that are not their country of origin.
Authorities in Sierra Leone have not yet provided full details on how the arrangement will be implemented or whether deportees will be allowed to stay in the country long-term.
It also remains unclear what terms or benefits are attached to the agreement between both governments.
The development has drawn attention across the region as similar deportation arrangements between the United States and some African countries continue to face scrutiny over legal and human rights concerns.
