Image Source: The Citizen
Africa – Ghanaian social activist and political economist Jerchi Tanoh, said no government in Africa is innocent in the current immigration dispute between Ghana and South Africa. His comments come as Ghana’s government documents financial losses suffered by its citizens during recent anti-foreigner protests in South Africa, with a view to pursuing compensation.
Tanoh said the South African government bears primary responsibility for the unrest. He argued its own conduct towards migrants, reinforced by state agencies including the police and immigration authorities, helped create the conditions for the violence.
“It has dog whistled the issue of migrants. It has tried to talk about illegal migration. It has conducted checks in workplaces. It has promoted a narrative and a practice enforced by state agencies including the police and immigration.”
No Government Is Innocent
Tanoh said hostility towards migrants is not unique to South Africa. He pointed to Ghana’s own deportations of people from the Sahel and West Africa as evidence of a shared pattern among African governments.
“None of these governments whatsoever are innocent of the conduct, the tendency to divide and blame innocent people and to deflect their responsibility in making people’s lives difficult.”
Building Solidarity Beyond Borders
Tanoh said the more meaningful response is solidarity among ordinary people rather than negotiation between states. He warned that shaping views around governments’ positions risks trapping people within narratives set by a small, unaccountable elite.
“The response really, in our understanding of what is happening, is to move away from the diplomatic shenanigans that are taking place to the kind of solidarity that we can build between migrants and non-migrants wherever we are.”
