FREETOWN — Nigeria and Ghana have agreed to jointly tackle rising Afrophobic protests and violence across Africa, with plans to push the issue onto the agenda of the next African Union (AU) Summit.
The development followed a bilateral meeting between Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, and Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on the sidelines of the ECOWAS Mid-Year Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Details of the agreement were contained in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and signed by its Spokesperson, Mr. Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, on Saturday.
Both ministers expressed concern over recent Afrophobic protests, particularly incidents targeting African nationals in South Africa, warning that such actions threaten regional unity and integration.
“Such acts undermine the ideals of African unity, solidarity and free movement of persons,” the ministers said, condemning xenophobia, intolerance and violence against fellow Africans.
They stressed the need for coordinated continental action to address the root causes of such tensions, protect migrants and promote peaceful coexistence across the continent.
The two countries also agreed to work with other African states to strengthen early warning systems, preventive diplomacy and monitoring mechanisms within the AU framework.
Enikanolaiye underscored the importance of closer Nigeria-Ghana collaboration, advocating preventive diplomacy to resolve tensions before they escalate.
In his remarks, Ablakwa called for “action-oriented” engagement between both countries, adding that cooperation should be driven by practical solutions rather than bureaucracy.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to Pan-Africanism, urging AU member states to uphold mutual respect, free movement and sustained dialogue to combat prejudice.
The meeting further reinforced longstanding diplomatic ties between Nigeria and Ghana, with both countries pledging continued collaboration through ECOWAS, the AU and other multilateral platforms to promote peace and regional stability.
