Expulsion of Nigerian Immigrant Community from Ghana in 1969: Causes and Impact

Abstract

This paper examines the remote and immediate factors that propelled the expulsion of Nigerian migrants from Ghana in November 1969. While the paper observes that jealousy and xenophobia played important roles in instigating the expulsion order, it notes that the key consideration that informed the Ghanaian action was the economic depression experienced in the country notable in the high rate of youth unemployment within the country. The study further notes that the action brought positive and negative impacts on the Nigerian nation but spelled doom for the cocoa and retail business sectors of the Ghanaian economy in the immediate post-expulsion period. The paper concludes that though Ghana had an inalienable right to expel aliens from her territory, the haste involved in the order and the in-human disposition of Ghanaian law enforcement agents to the deportees left much to be desired. Nigerian migrant stocks are also enjoined to seek necessary clarifications regarding entry and stay permits in their various countries of domicile to avoid similar losses and embarrassment in foreign countries in the future.