The Ghana Immigration Service has removed 1,055 migrant street beggars from major streets in Accra and Kumasi as authorities intensify efforts to identify and address the presence of foreign nationals allegedly residing in the country without valid immigration documentation.
The operation was undertaken following directives from the Minister for the Interior, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, as part of a broader government initiative aimed at addressing concerns surrounding undocumented migration and the growing presence of street beggars in Ghana’s major urban centres.
The exercise forms part of continuing measures by the Ghana Immigration Service to enforce the country’s immigration regulations while responding to concerns associated with street begging, irregular migration and human trafficking.
Authorities have particularly focused attention on major metropolitan areas such as Accra, where street begging involving foreign nationals has increasingly attracted public and official concern.
According to information from the ongoing operation, individuals identified as being in Ghana illegally are currently undergoing the necessary administrative processes ahead of their repatriation to their respective countries of origin.
The authorities are expected to undertake the repatriation process in accordance with applicable immigration procedures after the identities and immigration status of the affected individuals have been established.
The Ghana Immigration Service has maintained that its operations are intended to strengthen compliance with national immigration legislation and ensure that foreign nationals residing or operating within the country possess the appropriate documentation.
The removal exercise also comes amid broader concerns about the exploitation of vulnerable migrants, particularly children and adults involved in street begging, with authorities increasingly linking the phenomenon to wider challenges involving human trafficking and irregular migration.
Officials have therefore been working to distinguish between individuals who may have entered Ghana without proper documentation and vulnerable persons who may require protection and other forms of social intervention.
The latest operation in Accra and Kumasi underscores the government’s renewed attention to immigration enforcement and the management of street begging in densely populated urban communities.
As the affected individuals undergo processing, the Ghana Immigration Service is expected to continue its monitoring activities while working with relevant state institutions to address undocumented migration and related social challenges.
