Nigeria and Ghana Team Up to Fight Xenophobia in Africa

Nigeria and Ghana have decided to work together to tackle the rise of xenophobic attacks against Africans across the continent.

This decision comes as diplomatic issues grow between South Africa and several Sub-Saharan African nations due to a recent increase in xenophobic violence. PREMIUM TIMES has reported on the intimidation and harassment faced by African foreigners in South Africa.

Nigeria and Ghana made this decision during a meeting at the ECOWAS Mid-Year Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Friday.

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, met with Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Ablakwa. They discussed the recent attacks on African migrants in South Africa and how this violence impacts Pan-Africanism.

The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement after the meeting. They condemned xenophobia, Afrophobia, and all forms of violence against fellow Africans.

“Migrants should not be subjected to mob violence or collective punishment based on their nationality,” the statement said.

The ministers pointed out that such actions go against the African Union’s vision of unity, the free movement of people, and the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

They stressed the need for quick and coordinated regional and continental actions to address the root causes of these tensions. They want to protect the lives and dignity of African migrants and promote peaceful coexistence.

The ministers also highlighted the importance of unity, shared values of Pan-Africanism, and the collective progress of the continent.

They added that criminals among migrant populations should be dealt with according to the law. They should not face violence and mob actions that often affect even regular migrants and other law-abiding African citizens.

Mr Enikanolaiye praised Ghana for its significant UN resolution on the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Ghana introduced this resolution to recognize the transatlantic slave trade as a major crime against humanity at the General Assembly in March.

Ghana asked UN members to consider apologizing for the slave trade and to create a reparations fund. This resolution gained strong support from 123 member states, with only Israel and the US voting against it. Fifty-two countries, mainly European ones like Britain, Portugal, and Spain, abstained from voting.

Mr Enikanolaiye expressed Nigeria’s support for global reparative justice.

“Nigeria aligns with and fully supports the decisions of the Conference in the quest for reparative justice for Africans,” the statement said.

The Ghanaian foreign minister, in response, “aligned with the need for action-oriented preventive diplomacy, which could be achieved through brotherly communications devoid of bureaucracy.”