Ghana, China sign visa agreement
China has signed an agreement with the Ghana government to facilitate visa-free entry by nationals of both countries possessing valid diplomatic passports.
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The Mutual Visa Exemption will allow nationals holding valid, diplomatic, official and service passports to enter, depart or transit the territory of the other country without a visa and stay for a yet-to-be agreed period of time
The signing ceremony
The agreement was signed by officials of both countries in Accra yesterday.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Rural Integration, Mr Thomas Akwasi Quartey, who signed on behalf of Ghana, said the agreement would come into force immediately the requisite domestic processes were completed.
“Stakeholders are already working on the processes and they will be completed very soon,” he added.
Mr Quartey said measures would be put in place to ensure there was no room for abuse of the policy by beneficiaries.
However, he was quick to add that any beneficiary caught abusing the privilege would be dealt with.
Benefits of the agreement
He said the agreement was expected to facilitate bilateral exchanges in the public sector and contribute to advancing the Ghana-China strategic co-operative partnership in a mutually beneficial manner.
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The initiative, he said, would ensure great ease of business transactions between the two countries, as well as strengthen the long-standing bilateral relations between the two countries.
He, however, commended the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Ms Sun Baohong, for facilitating the process.
Signing on behalf of the People’s Republic of China, Ms Baohong expressed the optimism that the agreement would help intensify co-operation and the bilateral relations, which had existed as far back as 1955, between both countries.
She said the agreement was a demonstration of the commitment by the governments of both countries to provide expedient services to their citizenry.
Writer’s email Doreen.andoh@graphic.com.gh