Nation launches e-visa platform - Free-visa policy for Africans

The country has launched an electronic visa (e-visa) platform and introduced a free-visa policy for all persons travelling to Ghana with African passports, in a move aimed at boosting intra-African travel, trade and integration.

The digital platform, which was launched in Accra yesterday, allows applicants to submit visa requests online and receive a decision within 48 hours.

For non-African foreign nationals, the visa fee has been set at $260.

Effective yesterday which also marked the African Union (AU) Day, all travellers to Ghana with African passports would not pay any amount for visa, as the government has scrapped fees to commemorate the African Union (AU) Day celebrated every May 25.

It is aimed at also fostering regional integration through easy movement of people, goods and services through and from the country, as Ghana hosts the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) head office in Accra.

Under the new policy, all holders of African passports travelling to Ghana for business or tourism will apply exclusively through the e-visa platform at no fee.

The previous visa-on-arrival arrangement for African nationals has also been discontinued and replaced with the electronic regime.

The e-visa platform runs on four summarised steps; thus, “completing a short form on any device, paying securely using your bank card or mobile money for foreign nationals other than Africans, system runs automated checks and delivers results via email with QR code within 48 hours, and officers at the immigration would scan the QR Code within 10 seconds to access your approved visa”.

President John Dramani Mahama launched the policies at a ceremony in Accra yesterday.

He was supported by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, and the Minister of Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, at the event which was witnessed by many dignitaries.

Present were the Jamaican Foreign Affairs Minister, Karina Johnson Smith, who was a special guest, the Chairman of the Council of State and former Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho; the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Samuel Basintale Amadu, members of the diplomatic corps and directors from the three ministries, among others. 

Continental integration, Pan-African commitment

Speaking at the launch, President Mahama described the move as a bold step towards continental integration and modern governance.

“Today marks a significant milestone in Ghana’s journey towards building a modern, efficient and globally connected state.

We are gathered here not merely to launch a digital platform, but to affirm Ghana’s readiness to embrace a new era of mobility, connectivity, innovation and economic opportunity,” President Mahama said.

The President stressed that the removal of financial barriers for Africans would not compromise national security, as the e-visa system was fully integrated into the country’s Advanced Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record (API-PNR) architecture and linked to international crime and watchlist databases.

“Let no one misunderstand Ghana’s openness and hospitality as a relaxation of our national security obligations. Every entry into Ghana will remain subject to stringent security screening and established immigration protocols,” he added.

Describing the policy as aligning with Ghana’s Pan-African heritage, President Mahama said the initiative gave practical expression to the AU’s Free Movement of Persons Protocol and Agenda 2063.

“We are giving practical expression to the long-held aspiration that Africans should be able to move freely within their own continent with dignity, opportunity and purpose.

“As we commemorate Africa Day 63 years after the founding of the Organisation of African Unity, let this initiative be Ghana’s gift to the continent.

An open door, a digital handshake and the assurance that in the Republic of Ghana, no African will ever be made to feel unwelcome,” President Mahama said.

He urged other AU member states to implement the Free Movement Protocol, noting that while some countries were expelling fellow Africans, “Ghana proudly welcomes them and affirms that this is your home.”

President Mahama also announced plans to extend the digital platform to cover work and residence permits, directing the Ministries for the Interior, Foreign Affairs and Transport, the Ghana Immigration Service and the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) to automate the processes to reduce delays and improve the ease of doing business.

On travel facilitation, President Mahama said new 3D scanners were being installed at Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 of the Accra International Airport to eliminate the need for passengers to remove laptops and liquids from hand luggage.

Additional equipment set for installation in August would remove the requirement to take off shoes and belts during screening, he added.

President Mahama commended the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Transport, the Ghana Immigration Service, the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority and local tech firm, Rock Africa Limited, for developing the platform entirely with Ghanaian expertise.

For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said the e-visa platform was one of the country’s most effective Public-