Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed has disclosed that Ghana removed 2,281 migrant beggars and 774 other illegal immigrants involved in transnational organised crime in 2025.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, August 24, the minister said the Ghana Immigration Service had continued to remove foreign nationals found to be engaging in irregular migration and unlawful activities.

“By the end of 2025, the Ghana Immigration Service had 2,281 migrant beggars on our streets and 774 other illegal immigrants involved in transnational organised crime that had been removed from Ghana,” Muntaka said.

He said the enforcement exercise had continued into 2026, with the Ghana Immigration Service removing 960 migrant beggars from the streets of Accra and Kumasi, as well as another 186 illegal immigrants, by July this year.

Mr. Muntaka said the government was pursuing the removals while remaining mindful of Ghana’s obligations under the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons and the country’s longstanding diplomatic relations with other countries.

“We are pursuing this removal fully conscious of Ghana’s obligation under the ECOWAS Protocol on free movement of persons as well as the diplomatic relations and long-standing ties we and other countries have,” he said.

He said the government’s objective was to reduce irregular migration and the unlawful activities associated with it while ensuring that enforcement measures were lawful and respectful of human dignity.

“Our objective is to reduce irregular migration and unlawful activities associated with it to the barest minimum, while ensuring that enforcement actions are lawful, undertaken by the appropriate authorities and carried out in a manner that is respectful of human dignity,” Muntaka said.

The minister also said the government’s challenge in dealing with irregular migration was not a lack of political will, security, intelligence, or leadership, but rather the skills and operational capacity required to effectively manage the problem.

“Let me be clear that the challenge before us is not a lack of political will, security, intelligence or leadership. It is principally a question of skill,” he said.

He assured the public that logistical support would be provided to increase the scale of removals and strengthen the relevant institutions.

“And I can assure the public that there is a high-level consensus that with earmarked logistical support to increase the scale of the removals and strengthen our bodies, evidence of that will soon be apparent,” he said.