Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has revealed that about 460 Ghanaian students have left Ukraine en route to Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic following Russia’s military operation in the country.
The students who are expected to arrive Ghana in a few weeks will be received by officials from the countries’ diplomatic missions, honorary consuls, and officials of the Ghana students’ associations.
Parents and guardians of the students have been invited by the government to a meeting in the capital, Accra, on Tuesday. Over 1,000 Ghanaian nationals are currently working or studying in Ukraine.
Earlier, Ghanaian government urged Ghanaian students in Ukraine to seek shelter in their respective homes or in designated government places of shelter.
Ukraine has a visa-free regime with neighbouring EU countries, meaning that Ukrainians can pass the borders without having to hold a valid visa or additional documentation. This has made it easy for Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion to leave.
Other African nationals are among hundreds of thousands of people trying to flee into Poland and other neighbouring countries.
Nigeria on Monday urged border officials in Ukraine and elsewhere to treat its citizens fairly. It is set to receive 2000 fleeing returnees on Wednesday
“There have been unfortunate reports of Ukrainian police and security personnel refusing to allow Nigerians to board buses and trains heading towards the Ukraine-Poland border,” said presidential advisor Garba Shehu in a statement.
He said there are also reports of Polish officials refusing Nigerian citizens entry into Poland from Ukraine.
“It is paramount that everyone is treated with dignity and without favour,” said Shehu.
A group of South Africans, mostly students are also stuck at the Ukrainian-Polish border, the country’s foreign ministry spokesman, Clayson Monyela, said on Twitter.
The South African ambassador to Warsaw was at the site trying to get them through, according to Monyela who on Sunday had said Africans were being “treated badly” at the Polish-Ukraine border.
Poland’s ambassador to Nigeria Joanna Tarnawska dismissed claims of unfair treatment.
“Everybody receives equal treatment. I can assure you that I have reports that already some Nigerian nationals have crossed the border into Poland,” she told newsmen.