For the past three months, frequent travels along our roads, including the Aflao border corridor, have left me deeply concerned.
There is a growing presence of foreign nationals, especially children, at major intersections and in parts of Accra – around Panda Mall, Atomic Junction and other busy areas – begging for money or selling items like shoe polish.
Ghana has always been a welcoming nation and our ECOWAS commitments allow free movement. But free movement must not mean uncontrolled movement, and compassion must not allow exploitation.
The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has already shown the scale of the problem. In April 2026, an intelligence-led operation in Kumasi rounded up 606 people, including 381 children, linked to exploitative street-begging. GIS said many were suspected victims of trafficking and forced begging.
A similar operation in Greater Accra picked up 305 West Africans, including 113 children. Along the Aflao corridor, the picture is also worrying.
Between April and June 2026, the Aflao Sector Command intercepted and repatriated over 1,005 irregular immigrants, many of them women and children allegedly trafficked under false job promises.
In May, Nigerien migrants suspected to have used unapproved routes around Aflao were also intercepted.
This is bigger than begging. When a child stands by the roadside, we must ask:
Who brought the child here?
Where does the child live?
How did the child enter Ghana?
Who takes the money?
Is the child in school or being trafficked?
We cannot assume every beggar is a threat, but we cannot ignore that undocumented migration, child exploitation and trafficking can create vulnerabilities that criminal networks may exploit.
This is not about any nationality — Sudanese, Nigerien, Nigerian or Burkinabe. It is about proper documentation, child protection, and enforcement of our laws.
I therefore urge a coordinated response by GIS, Ghana Police Service, National Security, Customs, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and MMDAs to:
Strengthen border intelligence and surveillance;
Properly document and profile entrants;
Treat children found begging as vulnerable children first;
Investigate and prosecute those behind the networks;
Improve intelligence sharing and monitor transport facilitators.
Ghana can remain hospitable and vigilant at the same time. The streets of Accra should not become the final destination for trafficked children, and our borders must not become corridors for exploitation. We must investigate today, not tomorrow.
By Ing. Dr. Peter Debrah, Founder, Pedlo Energy Company PLC