Ghana Activates Emergency Plan, Begins Partial Evacuation of Tehran Embassy
Ministry of Foreign Affairs has triggered its emergency contingency framework and begun a scaled-down evacuation of personnel from its Tehran mission after coordinated military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran set off retaliatory missile attacks across the Gulf.
In a statement dated February 28, 2026, the Ministry said it was “closely monitoring with serious concern the escalating hostilities in the Middle East,” indicating that evaluations were underway to determine whether a full evacuation of Ghanaian nationals may be required.
“An emergency preparedness plan has been activated, and assessments are ongoing regarding the evacuation of Ghanaian nationals where necessary,” the statement noted. It further disclosed that government had “at this time initiated the evacuation of several staff of the Embassy of Ghana in Tehran, retaining essential personnel to coordinate assistance to Ghanaians in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The Ministry advised Ghanaians residing in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to stay indoors, avoid crowded or high-risk locations, comply with instructions issued by host authorities, keep valid travel documents within reach, and remain in constant touch with the nearest Ghanaian diplomatic mission.
Citizens were also urged to suspend all non-essential travel to and from the Middle East until the security situation stabilises.
The latest tensions followed joint air and missile strikes carried out on February 28 by the United States and Israel, with blasts reported in central Tehran. The operations come on the back of the most extensive American military deployment to the region since the 2003 Iraq war, including the positioning of two aircraft carriers, among them the USS Gerald R. Ford.
Iran responded with a series of counterstrikes aimed at U.S. military installations across the Gulf. In the aftermath, the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the U.S. Consulate in Dubai issued shelter-in-place notices to staff, while Qatar — which hosts the U.S. Central Command’s regional base at Al-Udeid Air Base — was reported among the most impacted. Ghana’s Embassy in Doha had earlier circulated its own advisory directing Ghanaians to seek shelter.
This development represents the second major protective intervention by Ghana in relation to the Iran–Israel conflict. During an earlier escalation in June 2025, authorities temporarily closed the Tehran embassy and evacuated an initial group of Ghanaian nationals to Turkey by June 20, 2025, after high-level diplomatic engagements with Iranian and Israeli officials.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, personally coordinated that evacuation exercise, which covered diplomats, students, professionals and other Ghanaian residents who exited through land borders.
Ghanaians in need of urgent consular support have been directed to contact the Ministry through designated emergency lines or reach out to the Ghana Embassy in Israel. Nationals in the affected countries have been strongly encouraged to register immediately with their closest diplomatic mission.
