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Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has defended the government’s decision to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States on the deportation of some West African nationals, dismissing claims by the Minority in Parliament that the agreement requires parliamentary ratification.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, October 22, Mr. Ayariga said the deal was legally sound and did not fall under arrangements that must be approved by the legislature.
“The issue of the need for parliamentary ratification of the agreement with the United States to receive ECOWAS citizens being repatriated back to the sub-region has been widely debated,” he stated. “If the appropriate legal advice to this House is that we should ratify it, we will consider so.”
Mr. Ayariga maintained that the government acted in the national interest and followed due legal processes, adding that the MoU had already yielded tangible benefits for Ghanaians.
“I can say with authority that the Majority approves of the arrangement and highly commends the government for negotiating the removal of the US visa restrictions on Ghanaians,” he said. “Given our business and social ties to America, these restrictions were going to be extremely burdensome to many Ghanaian businesses and families.”
The Minority, however, insists that the deal is unconstitutional, arguing that any agreement with foreign policy implications must be submitted to Parliament for approval in line with the 1992 Constitution.
Meanwhile, civil society group Democracy Hub has filed a case at the Supreme Court, seeking legal interpretation and clarity on whether the agreement required parliamentary ratification.
