International relations expert, Dr. Ishmael Hlovor, has backed Democracy Hub’s challenge of the government’s secret Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States, describing the group’s argument as justified.
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, Dr. Hlovor said while the lifting of U.S. visa restrictions on Ghana is beneficial, government must ensure that such agreements comply with Ghana’s constitutional and legal processes.
Dr. Hlovor explained that government should have presented the MoU before Parliament for scrutiny and approval to ensure transparency and legitimacy.
“It is in the interest of the government to present this agreement before Parliament, so that everybody gets to know the details—what has been agreed on and what has not,” he said.
He recalled a recent diplomatic incident involving the deportation of a Venezuelan national to Ghana, which prompted intervention from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, noting that such confusion arises when agreements are reached without parliamentary oversight.
“All this is because there was no open process in reaching this MoU. Nobody is saying you cannot use such deals to get visa restrictions lifted—you can, but use them properly, through the appropriate channels and procedures laid down by law.
“So I think that the argument of Democracy Hub is justified. What the minister and those running the foreign affairs department should be thinking is, how do they present this agreement before Parliament, get parliamentary approval, so that all the objections and all the criticisms about the deal will go away and we move on,” he stressed.
His comments come after civil society group Democracy Hub filed a writ at the Supreme Court challenging the legality of the MoU between Ghana and the United States for the reception and detention of involuntarily repatriated West African nationals.
According to Democracy Hub, the MoU—which allegedly allows deportees from the U.S. to be temporarily held in Ghana—was entered into secretly and without parliamentary approval, in violation of Article 75(2) of the 1992 Constitution.
The group also contends that the agreement breaches Ghana’s international human rights obligations and undermines transparency in the country’s foreign policy engagements.
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