Nigeria and Ghana have agreed to jointly campaign for stronger African Union action against Afrophobia, following renewed protests and attacks targeting African migrants in parts of the continent, with both countries pledging to place the issue on the agenda of the next AU Summit.
The commitment was reached during a bilateral meeting between Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, and Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on the sidelines of the ECOWAS Mid-Year Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The ministers expressed concern that rising hostility towards African migrants threatens regional integration, economic cooperation and the principle of free movement enshrined in African Union frameworks and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the world’s largest free-trade area by participating countries.
Calling for deeper cooperation between the two West African nations, Enikanolaiye said stronger strategic consultation and preventive diplomacy were essential to addressing tensions before they escalate into broader diplomatic disputes.
“There is a need for increased collaboration and strategic consultation between both countries, as well as preventive diplomacy that will enable us to nip irritants in the bud before they escalate,” he said.
The Nigerian minister also conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s goodwill message to Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama and commended Ghana’s leadership in advancing Pan-Africanism and the global campaign for reparations linked to the transatlantic slave trade.
Enikanolaiye congratulated Ghana on securing a landmark United Nations resolution on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and on hosting the Next Steps High-Level Conference on Reparative Justice, reaffirming Nigeria’s support for the conference’s resolutions and broader efforts to advance reparative justice for Africa and people of African descent.
Responding, Ablakwa pledged close cooperation between the two countries and emphasized the importance of direct engagement in addressing emerging challenges.
“We must embrace action-oriented preventive diplomacy through direct and brotherly communication devoid of unnecessary bureaucracy,” he said.
The Ghanaian foreign minister also acknowledged Nigeria’s support for the UN resolution and highlighted growing international recognition of historical injustices, citing apologies by the Pope, the Church of England and the Church of Scotland, as well as efforts by several European countries to return African cultural artefacts.
A major focus of the discussions was the resurgence of Afrophobic protests and attacks against African nationals in South Africa. The ministers jointly condemned xenophobia, Afrophobia and violence against fellow Africans, describing such actions as incompatible with the ideals of Pan-African solidarity.
They stressed that while criminal behaviour should be addressed through legal institutions, migrants must not be subjected to collective punishment or mob violence.
“Criminals among migrant populations must be treated in accordance with the rule of law and not be subjected to violence and mob actions that often target even regular migrants and other law-abiding African citizens,” the ministers said.
Both countries agreed to work with other African Union member states to strengthen early-warning systems, preventive diplomacy and coordinated responses aimed at protecting migrants and preventing future outbreaks of violence.
The discussions underscore growing concern among African governments that anti-migrant sentiment could undermine decades of efforts to promote continental integration, mobility and economic cooperation. By elevating the issue to the African Union level, Nigeria and Ghana are seeking a coordinated continental response that reinforces the principles of Pan-Africanism, mutual respect and shared prosperity.
