The 2028 Presidential nominee of the Progressive Alliance for Ghana (PAG), Dr John Enyonam Kpikpi, has criticised the planned deportation of over 1,000 migrant street beggars rounded up by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), saying Ghana should lead Africa with compassion rather than emulate xenophobic actions seen elsewhere on the continent.

His comments follow a GIS operation in Accra and Kumasi which removed 1,055 street beggars as part of a nationwide exercise targeting undocumented migrants and organised begging networks.

Dr Kpikpi argued that many of those on the streets are vulnerable women and children who deserve protection and rehabilitation instead of forced removal.

"This is sounding like a South African replay. We should set an example for the rest of Africa by taking these vulnerable people on and caring for them. Africa is all one. No deportations!" he said in a social media post.

The PAG nominee said Ghana has a moral and Pan-African responsibility to demonstrate humane leadership by providing care, shelter and support for vulnerable migrants while addressing the root causes of poverty and displacement across the region.

The Ghana Immigration Service apprehended more than 1,055 people in an intelligence-led operation targeting exploitative street begging networks in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions. The operation rescued 662 children, 145 men and 248 women.

It was targeted at criminal networks allegedly using begging to traffic and exploit vulnerable foreign nationals, especially women and children. Several Ghanaians were also apprehended on suspicion of their involvement in the exploitative begging networks as local agents.

In a statement, the GIS mentioned key hotspots where the operation was conducted as Abossey Okai, Sabon Zongo, Madina Zongo Junction, Madina, Ashaiman and Tema in the Greater Accra Region, and Asawase, Alabar, Akwatia Line, Dagomba Line, Sabon Zongo, Airport Junction and Aboabo in the Kumasi Metropolis.

The GIS said the significant number of minors rescued raised serious concerns about child vulnerability within exploitative begging systems, describing the development as part of a growing pattern of child trafficking for forced begging on Ghanaian streets.

During the operation, a Nigerien woman who had been apprehended reported feeling unwell and was examined by the medical team assigned to the exercise. The medical team discovered she was in labour, after which she was transferred to a nearby medical facility where she delivered a baby girl. She remains under medical observation.

The GIS said all rescued persons had been transferred to a designated holding centre for profiling and immigration processing in line with established protocols.

"The Service is collaborating closely with relevant stakeholders, including the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, to ensure that victims, especially children, receive appropriate care, protection and support throughout the removal process," the statement said.

The Comptroller General of the GIS, Samuel Basintale Amadu, urged the public to refrain from giving alms directly to migrant beggars, especially children, saying: "Removing financial incentives reduces the profitability of organised begging and discourages traffickers from exploiting vulnerable persons on the streets." He encouraged the public to channel donations through the Department of Social Welfare, recognised children's homes or credible non-governmental organisations.