OUTGOING Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo has announced the implementation of a visa-free policy for all African passport holders, effective from January, 2025.
Akufo-Addo made the announcement during his final State of the Nation Address on Friday, fulfilling a pledge he made at the Africa Prosperity Dialogues a year ago.
The move, according to Akufo-Addo, is part of efforts to enhance regional integration and ease movement across the continent.
“I am proud to have approved visa-free travel to Ghana for all African passport holders, with effect from the beginning of this year,” Akufo-Addo told lawmakers in his last address to parliament.
“This is the logical next step to the African Continental Free Trade Area and the workings of the largest trading bloc in the world,” he said.
He added that the policy aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which envisions an integrated and connected Africa by 2063.
The visa-free policy also supports the African Union’s vision for greater economic integration, particularly under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), headquartered in Ghana.
Ghana had previously permitted visa-free entry for citizens of 26 African nations and offered visas on arrival for travellers from 25 others. Only Eritrea and Morocco required Ghanaians to apply for a visa before entry.
But with the new policy, Ghana is now the fifth African country to allow visa-free travel for all African nationals, joining Rwanda, Seychelles, The Gambia, and Benin.
“All these are essential elements to the realisation of the AU’s Agenda 2063, which envisages an integrated and connected Africa by 2063,” the president added.
The ICIR reports that Visa-free travel has long been advocated as vital for fostering economic collaboration and promoting pan-African unity.
Ghana, ranked fifth in Africa’s visa-openness index last year, has positioned itself as a hub for African visitors and members of the diaspora.
In 2022, the Ghanaian government introduced visa-on-arrival for visitors during the 2022 festive season, allowing travelers to enter the country without prior visa arrangements from December 22, 2022, to January 15, 2023.
The move, announced by the Ministry of Transport, was part of the government’s then ongoing efforts to attract tourists and strengthen diaspora connections under the “Beyond the Return” initiative.
AVOI 2024 top 20
According to the Africa Visa Openness Index 2024 ranking, Benin, Gambia, Rwanda and the Seychelles continue to occupy the top spot on the AVOI even this year.
Nigeria stands 6th on the 2024 AVOI ranking, after scoring 0.864.
Among the top 20 countries, 16 are equally distributed between West and East Africa, with each region contributing eight nations. Southern Africa is represented by Madagascar, Mauritius, and Mozambique, while Mauritania stands as the sole representative from North Africa.
The majority of the top-ranked countries (18 out of 20) fall under the lower-middle-income or low-income categories. This suggests that nations with lower income levels are more likely to adopt liberal visa policies, potentially to boost tourism, trade, and regional integration.
In contrast, wealthier nations tend to maintain stricter visa regulations, often citing concerns about incentivizing economic migration or irregular movement, according to the report.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M