U.S. Report Identifies Nigerians as Largest Group of Foreign Trafficking Victims in Ghana
Nigerians accounted for the largest share of foreign human-trafficking victims identified in Ghana in 2025, with 896 people recorded, according to the 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report by the United States Department of State.
The report said Ghanaian authorities identified 2,331 trafficking victims during the year, comprising 1,469 foreign nationals and 862 Ghanaian citizens. Nigerians represented about 61 per cent of the foreign victims identified.
Other foreign nationals identified as trafficking victims came from countries including Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Togo, Senegal, Niger and Benin.
The report highlighted how traffickers lure Nigerian women and girls to Ghana with promises of employment before subjecting some to sexual exploitation. Victims may be forced to engage in commercial sex to repay inflated debts for transportation and accommodation, leaving them vulnerable to continued exploitation.
The figures underline the risks faced by people seeking employment across borders, particularly when recruiters use deceptive job offers and financial obligations to control them.
Although Nigerians were the largest group among foreign victims identified, Ghanaian nationals accounted for a larger share of the total number of victims recorded in the country’s previous reporting periods. The latest figures also reflect identified cases rather than the full scale of trafficking, which can remain hidden from authorities.
Human trafficking involves the exploitation of people through force, fraud or coercion, including for forced labour and sexual exploitation.
