The visa waiver agreement between Ghana and South Africa has triggered a remarkable surge in travel, with 38,521 Ghanaians visiting South Africa between April 2024 and March 2025, for tourism, business, and medical purposes.
Data from the South African High Commission projected 18,590 visitors from Ghana during the period.
However, actual arrivals soared past expectations, achieving a 207.20 per cent performance rate, a development officials credit to the visa-free regime introduced on November 1, 2023.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, acting High Commissioner of South Africa to Ghana, Thando Dalamba, confirmed that the surge reflects the growing warmth and cooperation between the two nations.
“After the visa-free regime came into effect, the number of Ghanaians travelling to South Africa just spiked; 2024 alone, about 13,000 Ghanaians visited South Africa, he said.
While acknowledging the success of the policy in boosting Ghanaian travel, Mr Dalamba expressed concern that the flow of visitors remains largely one-sided, with far fewer South Africans coming to Ghana.
“Our Minister of Tourism was here between March and April 2024, and she raised this issue — that we must do more to improve the number of South Africans visiting Ghana,” he said.
He disclosed that discussions were underway between tourism authorities and operators from both countries to promote Ghana as a destination of choice for South African tourists.
“We want to ensure that it’s not just one-way traffic. South Africans should also be encouraged to visit Ghana,” Mr Dalamba said, adding that most South Africans who travelled to Ghana currently come mainly for business or to attend cultural events.
One such major attraction, he said, was the ‘December in Ghana’ festival season — formerly known as Afrochella — which continued to draw between 2,500 and 3,000 South Africans annually.
“They come in large numbers during December for Ghana’s cultural and entertainment events and return afterwards. But we want to make travel between our two countries more frequent and consistent,” the High Commissioner stated.
Beyond tourism, he revealed a notable rise in medical tourism, with more Ghanaians choosing South Africa for advanced yet affordable health care.
“For the same treatments that Ghanaians used to travel to India, Turkey, or the United States for, they are now opting for South Africa. It’s more affordable, and the quality of care is equally high,’ Mr Dalamba said.
The acting High Commissioner added that both governments were collaborating to address administrative and logistical issues in the medical tourism space to make the process even more seamless.
In addition to tourism and healthcare cooperation, the Acting High Commissioner highlighted efforts to revive the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Arts and Culture signed between Ghana and South Africa in 2012.
“We are working to revive that agreement and expand it to include broader areas of cooperation within the creative arts and cultural industries,” he said.
He further mentioned that in March 2023, the two countries signed a programme of cooperation that outlined priority areas for collaboration in tourism over a three to five-year period.
The agreement, he noted, was signed between the Chief Director of Ghana’s Ministry of Tourism and the Director-General of South Africa’s Department of Tourism to strengthen bilateral relations and enhance cultural exchange.
“With the festive season approaching, South Africa becomes very vibrant. Our cuisines, festivals, and cultural activities make it a destination of choice for Ghanaians seeking memorable experiences. We encourage them to continue exploring South Africa,” he said.
