The group, which included children and infants, landed in Accra on 24 September in the latest joint repatriation by Ghana, the IOM and ECOWAS.
A group of 180 Ghanaians has arrived back home from Libya, brought in through a joint operation by the Government of Ghana, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) — the United Nations agency that handles migration — and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the 15-member regional bloc.
The returnees landed in Ghana on 24 September 2026. According to a Facebook post by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, reported by Adom Online, the group was made up of 153 men and 27 women, with children and infants among them.
Who met them
At the point of arrival, the group was received by the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Ghana, Mohammed Lawan Gana, together with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and staff of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the state body that handles emergencies and relief support.
Speaking to the returnees, Mr Gana framed their arrival as the beginning of a new chapter rather than the end of a failed journey. He urged them to treat the return as a chance to start again, and to take up the support on offer — particularly in skills training, entrepreneurship and help with earning a living.
Part of a wider programme
The flight is not a one-off. It falls under a continuing arrangement between the Ghanaian government, the IOM and ECOWAS to help Ghanaians who are stranded abroad or living in difficult conditions to return voluntarily and settle back into life at home.
The same programme brought 144 Ghanaians home from Libya in an earlier humanitarian operation.
Ghana's stated aim through these returns is to promote what officials describe as safe, orderly and regular migration, while making sure that citizens who need help getting out of a bad situation have a route home.
What happens next
The 180 returnees are expected to receive further support from state agencies and partner organisations to help them adjust. That reintegration assistance is the part that usually determines whether a return sticks — without work or training, many who come home under such schemes face pressure to travel again.
Why it matters for Ghanaians abroad
Libya has long been a transit point for West Africans attempting to reach Europe by sea. The route is dangerous, and many travellers never make it past Libya itself. The source report notes that Libyan authorities recovered the bodies of 15 migrants east of the capital, Tripoli.
For Ghanaian families in the United States and elsewhere with relatives who have taken the irregular route north, the IOM voluntary return scheme is the main formal channel available for getting a stranded relative home.
