Ghana announced plans to grant visa-free access to all African passport holders starting May 25, a major shift in the region’s border policy.
Late yesterday, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, confirmed the development in a post on X, stating that “Ghana seeks to consolidate its credentials as the cradle of Pan-Africanism even as it expects a major boost in tourism and intra-African trade by this groundbreaking reform.”
President John Mahama has today announced that the Government of Ghana has decided to introduce a free visa regime for all Africans who wish to visit Ghana.
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) April 2, 2026
The new policy takes effect on May 25, a day which is commemorated as Africa Day.
President Mahama made the declaration… pic.twitter.com/HPgxD0wK5K
The announcement was made during the inaugural state visit of President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe to Ghana.
Once at loggerheads and favouring collaboration with Western countries over other African nations, the move signals a growing rebuke of anti-African bias on the continent that critics say has fostered a lack of collaboration. Just this year, Kenya and Rwanda announced that they were working on a framework that would allow digital payments companies licensed in one country to operate in the other.
This is a sharp contrast to the mood of leaders on the continent. Many African tech talents have lodged complaints about being treated indignantly in many African countries and sometimes facing major hassles getting working visas.
Just a few years ago, regulators went after foreign African founders and their startups that sought to establish operations in their countries. In one viral incident, Nigerian fintech companies Flutterwave and KoraPay were outrightly accused of fraud by Kenyan regulators—allegations that both parties have denied.
Ablakwa explained that the country “expects a major boost in tourism and intra-African trade by this groundbreaking reform.”
He added that “the free visa for Africans would be a component of a new e-visa policy the Mahama administration is launching next month.”
At the same time, Ghana is working to expand travel access for its own citizens. The minister revealed that “since last year, 23 visa waiver agreements have been negotiated for Ghanaians.”
Framing the move within Ghana’s broader vision, Ablakwa emphasised that the policy is about more than just travel.
“Ghana seeks to consolidate its credentials as the cradle of Pan-Africanism,” he said.
David Adubiina
