Nigeria and Ghana have agreed to champion a coordinated African response to rising Afrophobic protests and attacks against African migrants across the continent.
The decision was announced by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, met with Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on the sidelines of the ECOWAS Mid-Year Summit in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Friday.
During the meeting, both ministers held discussions on recent Afrophobic protests and attacks directed at African nationals in South Africa. They expressed concern over the resurgence of hostility against fellow Africans, warning that such incidents threaten the ideals of African unity, solidarity, free movement of people and the aspirations of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The ministers also denounced xenophobia, Afrophobia, intolerance and violence against Africans, describing such actions as inconsistent with the values of Pan-Africanism and the continent’s collective aspirations.
They stressed the need for a coordinated regional and continental response to tackle the factors driving the tensions, protect African migrants and encourage peaceful coexistence among communities.
As part of the outcome of the meeting, Nigeria and Ghana agreed to push for Afrophobia to be placed on the agenda of the next African Union Summit.
They also pledged to work with other member states in support of stronger measures within the African Union, including enhanced monitoring, early warning systems and preventive diplomacy aimed at preventing future incidents.