By granting Africans visa-free travel to Ghana, President Akufo-Addo has advanced the objectives of the AfCFTA and the continent’s economic integration.
The President has carried out his promise to allow citizens of all African nations to visit Ghana without a visa, starting from January 2025.
According to a report, Ghana will become the fifth African country to open its borders to all holders of African passports when the visa-free travel policy, which was approved by the executive on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, goes into effect in early 2025.
The Africa Prosperity Dialogues 2024, with the theme “Developing Prosperity in Africa: Produce, Add Value, and Trade,” was where President Akufo-Addo first made this pledge.
Speaking to more than 2,000 political and business leaders, Akufo-Addo emphasized Ghana’s dedication to promoting free movement of people, which is a major goal of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“Many of you had to acquire a visa to come to this event. The government of Ghana is committed to ensuring visa-free travel for all Africans entering our country, and the process has begun to implement this policy this year,” the President assured.
By facilitating cross-border trade in goods, services, and people, this initiative supports the African Union’s goal of creating the largest single market in the world. Following Rwanda, Seychelles, The Gambia, and Benin, Ghana, the location of the AfCFTA Secretariat, has allowed African nationals to enter the country without a visa.
The Ghana Immigration Service is expected to announce the official start date, which is expected to be January 1, 2025. In the meantime, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and the Ministry of the Interior have begun the process of operationalizing the policy.
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The visa-free policy is viewed as a significant step in resolving the travel-related annoyances of African business leaders, such as Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote, who previously drew attention to the onerous procedure of submitting numerous visa applications throughout the continent.
Ghana’s implementation of this policy further solidifies its position in Africa’s economic integration and the AfCFTA’s vision of a borderless continent while also honoring the legacy of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the country’s first president and an advocate for African unity.
