President John Dramani Mahama has revealed that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa recently dispatched a delegation to Ghana to discuss the recurring xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals in South Africa.
According to President Mahama, the engagement created an opportunity for both countries to hold frank discussions on an issue that continues to generate concern across the African continent.
The President made the disclosure on Wednesday, July 22, when he received the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, at the Jubilee House in Accra.
Mahama said he used the meeting with the South African delegation to explain Ghana’s concerns, stressing that openly addressing the issue is the only way to find lasting solutions.
“On July 21, President Cyril Ramaphosa sent a delegation to me, and I explained why we need to discuss it. Sometimes these things happen, and we want to sweep them under the carpet, but when we do that, we do not solve the problem,” he stated.
The President emphasized that Ghana’s concerns should not be interpreted as hostility towards South Africa but as a constructive effort to promote transparency and allow the country to explain the measures it is taking to address the attacks.
“I told them that Ghana does not harbour any malice against South Africa, but we are raising the issue so it gives them the platform to explain to the world what they are doing,” he added.
President Mahama also called on the African Union to play a more proactive role in addressing recurring xenophobic attacks across the continent, warning that such incidents threaten Africa’s vision of unity, free movement of people and regional integration.
He further revealed that Ghana has spent considerable resources evacuating some of its citizens from South Africa following previous attacks, underscoring the human and financial cost of xenophobic violence.
The President’s remarks come amid renewed calls for coordinated action by African leaders to combat xenophobia and strengthen the protection of Africans living and working in other countries across the continent.
