The ‘Ghana must go’ : Divided brothers, United struggles.
I grew up hearing about a bag, oddly named “Ghana Must Go.” It wasn’t just any bag — it was thick, reusable, and always checked in red, blue, or black patterns. What I didn’t realize at the time was that this simple bag carried the weight of a nation’s history and a fractured relationship between two African countries.
This bag’s name traces back to 1983, a year when hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians, who had come to Nigeria in search of opportunity, were forced to pack their lives into it and leave. The migration wasn’t a voluntary one. They were expelled — not just from Nigeria, but from the promise of a better life.
Nigeria had been the destination of dreams for many across West Africa, especially as its oil-rich economy surged in the 1970s. Back then, Nigeria was the “Giant of Africa,” a nation whose streets were said to be paved with gold. Yet, beneath this promise lay the lingering effects of colonialism, where arbitrary borders imposed by foreign powers set the stage for division, exclusion, and a conflict that tore at the heart of African unity.
The Point in 1983
By 1983, Nigeria’s glittering prosperity had dimmed. The economy was faltering, crime rates were rising, and the Shagari government needed someone to blame. The solution was swift: expel 2 million undocumented migrants, half of them Ghanaians. With little warning, the streets of Lagos and other major cities were filled with people hastily packing their belongings — often into those infamous nylon bags that would soon earn the name “Ghana Must Go.”
The sight of Ghanaians leaving, their lives crammed into these checked bags, became a powerful image of hardship. Nearly four decades later, these bags are still sold in markets, a ghostly reminder of a painful chapter in West African history. Yet, for many Ghanaians, those bags are also a symbol of resilience — the will to survive in the face of forced displacement, the Ghanaian economy was very bad then and going back was the only option.
Colonial Borders, Post-Colonial Divides
The expulsion of Ghanaians from Nigeria wasn’t an isolated incident, nor was it unique to Nigeria. Across West Africa, countries have repeatedly expelled migrants in times of economic instability. But the roots of these expulsions run deep, tied to a colonial past that arbitrarily divided the continent.
Decades earlier, in 1969, Ghana had expelled 2.5 million migrants, mostly Nigerians, in a similar act of economic self-preservation. The borders drawn by colonial powers, which once divided Africa for their own interests, left a legacy of suspicion and division that continues to ripple through the continent.
Before those borders existed, Ghanaians and Nigerians were more than neighbors — they were trading partners, allies, and even family. The Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria, for example, have long shared cultural and economic ties with the people of Ghana. But after the British and other European colonizers sliced up the continent, these long-standing relationships were disrupted, and the new borders created tension where cooperation once thrived.
Today, the memories of these expulsions are fading, especially among younger generations. Instead of recalling the pain of forced migration, Ghanaians and Nigerians now engage in playful rivalries over who makes the best jollof rice or has the better music. But beneath the friendly banter lies a truth that cannot be ignored: the borders that were drawn to divide us are still holding Africa back.
Moving Beyond the Bag
It’s time for Africa to move beyond these divisions. Despite the promise of free movement within West Africa under ECOWAS, it remains easier and cheaper to fly to Europe than between African countries. Our collective growth is stunted by the very borders that were never meant to exist. We must work toward a future where African nations are united, where our goals are shared, and where no one is forced to pack their life into a bag because of artificial divisions.
Sensei Mol.
