Ghana has begun evacuating its nationals from Iran in response to the escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel. The first batch of evacuees arrived safely in Turkey on Friday, June 20, as the Mahama-led administration intensified diplomatic efforts to safeguard its citizens in the troubled Middle East region.
In a statement shared on social media, Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, confirmed the development. “So far, the first batch of Ghanaians in Iran have been evacuated to Turkey successfully. Our fellow nationals living in Israel will be evacuated shortly,” he announced in a Facebook post.
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The evacuation, Ablakwa explained, follows a week of high-level diplomatic engagements with the Israeli and Iranian ambassadors to Ghana. On Tuesday, June 17, the minister met with Israeli envoy Roey Gilad, followed by talks with Iranian ambassador Ali Ghomshi the next day. The meetings, held under the direction of president John Mahama, were aimed at securing safe exit routes and necessary travel clearances for Ghanaian nationals at risk.
“These meetings enabled us not only to secure border permissions for evacuation but also to gain deeper insights into the rapidly evolving situation,” Ablakwa said.
Ghana’s embassy in Tehran was also shut down earlier in the week, on Monday, June 16, as a precautionary measure. The government cited the need to prioritise the safety of embassy staff and Ghanaian residents amid growing regional instability.
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“To guarantee the safety of our embassy staff, Ghana’s embassy in Tehran has been closed with immediate effect,” the minister said. The closure and evacuation follow urgent calls from the Minority in Parliament, which had raised concerns over the vulnerability of Ghanaian nationals in Iran.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are currently 922 Ghanaians residing in Israel, including 65 students enrolled in six different universities. So far, there have been no reports of injuries or casualties among Ghanaians in either country.
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The situation in the region has continued to deteriorate following Israel’s recent military strikes on Iranian targets and retaliatory drone and missile launches from Iran. Amid the growing unrest, Ghana recently abstained from a vote in Vienna concerning Iran’s compliance with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) protocols — a move that drew criticism from Israeli officials.
Nevertheless, Ablakwa affirmed that the government’s primary concern remains the safety and well-being of Ghanaians abroad. Additional evacuations from Israel are expected in the coming days, as the Mahama administration moves ahead with its emergency response strategy.
