Ghana on Tuesday announced it is evacuating 300 citizens from South Africa amid a rise in xenophobic incidents across recent weeks.
Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa confirmed the operation on X, saying President John Dramani Mahama had approved the emergency evacuation.
He said the affected citizens had already registered with Ghana’s High Commission in Pretoria for protection and assisted departure.
The government stressed its continued responsibility to safeguard the welfare of Ghanaians both at home and abroad.
The decision follows a surge in anti-immigrant protests and reported assaults and intimidation targeting African nationals in South Africa.
Ghana and Nigeria have both expressed concern over the worsening security situation facing migrants in several parts of the country.
South African authorities have rejected allegations of xenophobia, insisting the unrest does not reflect national sentiment or policy.
Presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya described the incidents as isolated protests occurring within the country’s constitutional democratic framework.
He urged African states to confront deeper issues of instability, conflict and governance failures driving migration pressures.
Accra had earlier summoned South Africa’s high commissioner to protest repeated reports of violence against Ghanaian citizens.
South Africa, Africa’s most industrialised economy, hosts more than three million foreign nationals amid persistent economic strain.
Unemployment, hovering near 30 percent, continues to intensify social tensions between local communities and migrant workers.
Previous waves of anti-immigrant violence in 2008, 2015, 2016 and 2019 left dozens dead and displaced many across urban centres.