{"id":119713,"date":"2026-05-25T12:36:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T12:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=119713"},"modified":"2026-05-25T12:36:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T12:36:19","slug":"ghana-officially-launches-e-visa-system-scraps-visa-fees-for-africans-ablakwa-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=119713","title":{"rendered":"Ghana officially launches e-visa system, scraps visa fees for Africans \u2014 Ablakwa"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>3 Minute, 49 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
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Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says Ghana\u2019s newly launched e-visa portal forms part of the government\u2019s broader strategy to position the country as open and attractive to business, tourism and investment.<\/p>\n

The online visa platform, which officially went live on Africa Day, allows travellers from around the world to apply for Ghanaian visas entirely online without visiting embassies or consulates in person.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the launch ceremony at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City on Monday, May 25, Mr Ablakwa said the initiative reflects President John Dramani Mahama\u2019s vision of making Ghana more accessible to the international community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe newly inaugurated President of the Republic declared that Ghana is open for business again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if Ghana must indeed demonstrate that we are open for business, then it means that our visa processing regime must also align with the President\u2019s reset vision.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the minister, the previous visa application process created frustration for many travellers and international partners because of delays and cumbersome procedures.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of our international partners complained about how cumbersome the process was, the long queues, the delays, and sometimes how difficult it was to access visas,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

Mr Ablakwa explained that Cabinet approved the new e-visa policy as part of efforts to modernise Ghana\u2019s immigration system and improve investor confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe President decided that, as part of his Ghana Open for Business strategy, we should overhaul the visa processing regime for our country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is what has culminated in today\u2019s launch of an e-visa portal backed by an e-visa policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Visa fees waived for Africans<\/h3>\n

In another major announcement, the Foreign Affairs Minister revealed that visa fees for all African travellers entering Ghana had been abolished.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn this Africa Day, the President has also decided that all people from the African continent will no longer have to pay visa fees to enter Ghana,\u201d he announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first time in our country\u2019s history, visa fees for Africans have been completely scrapped.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Ablakwa described the decision as a significant step towards promoting regional integration and strengthening ties across the continent.<\/p>\n

He also addressed concerns raised over claims on social media that another e-visa contract already existed.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me assure the people of Ghana that there is no existing e-visa contract. Nothing of the sort exists,\u201d he clarified.<\/p>\n

According to him, the government sought legal advice from the Attorney General after reviewing documents linked to an existing machine-readable passport contract.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Attorney General\u2019s opinion is that the machine-readable passport contract does not constitute an e-visa arrangement. They are entirely different,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

The minister further disclosed that the project was being implemented under a public-private partnership arrangement, meaning taxpayers would not bear the cost of establishing the system.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe beauty of this arrangement is that taxpayers have not been burdened,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe private partner is setting up the system under the supervision of the Ministry of Communications, NITA and the Cyber Security Authority.\u201d<\/p>\n

National security will not be compromised \u2014 Muntaka<\/h3>\n

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak assured the public that the simplified visa process would not compromise national security.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the same event, Mr Muntaka said modern nations compete through efficiency and systems that make travel and business easier.<\/p>\n

\u201cNations do not compete only with resources. They compete with systems. They compete with efficiency,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

According to him, the e-visa platform is designed to remove delays and uncertainty for travellers seeking entry into Ghana.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis platform does something powerful. It removes barriers. No more unnecessary delays. No more uncertainty,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead, we offer speed, convenience and confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Muntaka said the initiative sends a strong signal that Ghana is ready for tourism, investment and international partnerships.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are telling the world that Ghana is open for business. Ghana is ready for tourism. Ghana is ready for global partnerships,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

However, he stressed that the government remained committed to protecting the country\u2019s borders and citizens.<\/p>\n

\u201cOpenness does not mean weakness. We are not only opening our doors; we are strengthening them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Interior Minister explained that the digital platform would enable authorities to screen travellers before they arrive in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore a traveller even boards a plane, we already know who is coming. We assess risks early, identify threats early, and act early. This is modern border control,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is responsible leadership, and that is how we protect our people while still welcoming the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says Ghana\u2019s newly launched e-visa portal forms part of the government\u2019s broader effort to position the country as open and attractive to business, tourism, and investment.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,18133,536,1883,117,10,9,1887],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business","category-e-visa-system","category-ghana","category-national","category-news","category-politics","category-popular","category-top-story"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=119713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119713\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=119713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=119713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=119713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}