Liberia has agreed to accept as many as 1,200 people deported from the United States, in one of the largest known arrangements between the Trump administration and an African country under its intensified immigration enforcement policy.

Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah announced the agreement Tuesday in Monrovia, saying the deportees will arrive over the course of a year. The first group, consisting of 20 people, is expected to arrive Thursday.

According to reports by AfricaNews, the agreement allows the United States to send people to Liberia who are not necessarily Liberian citizens.

“Those to be transferred from the United States of America to Liberia will include citizens or nationals of African and Western hemisphere countries who are medically authorized to travel,” Piah told reporters.

The arrangement represents a significant expansion of a Trump administration strategy that has sought to remove migrants from the United States even when their destination is not their country of origin.

Deportees may be from other countries

Under the agreement, Liberia could receive deportees from other African nations as well as countries in the Western Hemisphere.

The development is part of a broader U.S. effort to establish agreements with countries willing to receive migrants who have been ordered removed from the United States.

The Trump administration has reached similar arrangements with several African countries, with advocates raising concerns about the circumstances surrounding some deportations.

A particularly contentious issue involves migrants whose removal to their home countries has been blocked by U.S. immigration judges because they could face danger or persecution if returned.

Piah did not say whether any of the people expected to be transferred to Liberia have such protection orders.

Liberia says deportees can seek asylum

The Liberian government said those arriving under the arrangement will have options once they are in the country.

According to Piah, deportees may seek asylum in Liberia after their arrival.

He also said they would be free to leave Liberia whenever they choose.

Liberia will receive assistance from the United States to help manage the deportation program and strengthen the country’s migration system, Piah said.

The agreement therefore goes beyond simply accepting deportees. It will also involve U.S. support for Liberia’s ability to manage migrants and asylum seekers.

Part of Trump’s broader immigration crackdown

The agreement comes as the Trump administration continues its aggressive campaign to increase deportations and deter illegal immigration.

The administration has pursued agreements with countries willing to accept deportees who cannot or will not be returned directly to their countries of nationality.

Advocates have criticized the practice, particularly where deportations involve people who have sought protection in the United States or whose return to their home countries has been deemed unsafe.

The use of third countries can also create questions about what legal protections deportees will have after they arrive and whether they have meaningful opportunities to challenge their removal.

Liberian officials have not indicated that all 1,200 potential deportees have been identified, nor have they provided details about their nationalities, immigration histories or individual circumstances.

For now, the first test of the agreement is expected Thursday, when the initial group of 20 deportees is due to arrive in Monrovia.

The arrangement could ultimately make Liberia one of the most significant African destinations for people removed from the United States under the Trump administration’s evolving migration policy.

Sometimes the biggest fashion story is about the outfit that never makes it onto the stage.

The cancellation of Maxwell’s highly anticipated South African concerts has left thousands of fans disappointed, but it has also sparked a different conversation about the lasting influence of celebrity image.

The Grammy-winning R&B icon was due to perform at Pretoria’s SunBet Arena on 8 August and Cape Town’s Grand Arena, GrandWest on 11 August before announcing that “unforeseen circumstances beyond my control” had forced him to cancel both appearances.

Promoters later confirmed that Maxwell would not be travelling to South Africa at any point in 2026, with hopes now pinned on rescheduled dates in 2027.

For an artist like Maxwell, a concert has always been about more than the music. His carefully cultivated aesthetic—sharp tailoring, luxurious fabrics, understated jewellery and his unmistakable natural hair—has become inseparable from his artistic identity.

Long before “quiet luxury” became a fashion buzzword, Maxwell embodied refined elegance that never relied on excess. His wardrobe has consistently reflected the same qualities found in his music: confidence, restraint and timeless sophistication.

That visual identity helps explain why the cancelled performances feel like a cultural loss beyond the concert calendar.

Fans were preparing not only to hear classics performed live but also to witness an artist whose presence has shaped men’s style across generations.

His look has influenced performers, stylists and fashion-conscious audiences who appreciate clothing that speaks through craftsmanship rather than spectacle.

Online speculation has attempted to explain the cancellation, with some social media users questioning whether recent concerns about xenophobic tensions in South Africa played a role.

There is, however, no evidence supporting that claim, and neither Maxwell nor the event promoters have linked the decision to safety concerns. Until an official explanation emerges, the reason remains unknown.

What remains certain is that Maxwell’s influence extends beyond the stage. Even in his absence, his personal brand continues to remind the entertainment industry that true style is not measured by appearances alone, but by the lasting impression an artist leaves wherever their name is announced.

A prominent development economist has challenged the dominant narrative about Africa’s future, arguing that the continent is not “developing” but rather “recovering” from historical interruptions.

Abir Ibrahim, an author and development economist with over a decade of experience in policy and global affairs across African and international institutions, made the case during a recent speaking engagement at the University of Oxford.

Development assumes you are starting from zero

“When we describe Africa as ‘developing,’ we often frame progress as importing ideas, institutions and solutions from elsewhere,” Ibrahim said in a video accompanying her remarks.

The central question she posed was: What knowledge and innovation already existed? Which systems worked? What was interrupted? And how can we learn and build from them today?

“Development assumes you are starting from zero. It assumes there was nothing here, and now you’re building from scratch. And the only question becomes how fast we can catch up to everyone else,” Ibrahim explained.

300,000 years of documented history

Ibrahim argued that the recovery framework acknowledges what was already present on the continent:

“We’re sitting on over 300,000 years of documented history, mathematics carved into bones 20,000 years ago, surgeons performing surgical birth successfully, while the same operation was still killing women across the world.”

She pointed to pre-colonial achievements including cities, universities, trade routes, metallurgy and astronomy—evidence of sophisticated knowledge systems that existed long before external intervention.

“Know what your own people already built”

The development economist emphasised that while frameworks, funding models and strategies can be copied from elsewhere, “knowing what your own people already built is the one thing that anchors your future.”

Ibrahim said she has sat across from many people with strategies for the continent, but added:

“I’d personally much rather listen to someone who can tell me what was already here, what was already built, and why was it interrupted, why did it stop?”

Recovery vs development

The economist concluded that “Africa is not a development story, it’s a recovery story.”

By framing the continent’s trajectory as recovery, she argued, the focus shifts from catch-up to rediscovery—building on existing foundations rather than importing foreign models.

“History is required to drive innovation and economic growth. A tree can’t grow without its roots,” Ibrahim said.

A call to action

Ibrahim’s message extends beyond academia to investors, policymakers and development practitioners.

“The most valuable thing in any series about investment and building impact in a continent is to study the history, find the patterns, and then rebuild from what’s already there,” she said.

Her remarks have sparked conversation about how development institutions, governments and investors approach the continent—and whether current strategies adequately recognise and leverage Africa’s rich historical foundations.

Abir Ibrahim is an author and development economist with over a decade of experience in policy and global affairs within global and African institutions.

She has travelled to more than 50 countries and shares insights on creating a life of impact. She was invited to speak at the University of Oxford in July 2026.