Ghanaian passport holders can now travel to approximately 50 countries without a visa, following a series of successful bilateral agreements under the new administration, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has announced.
The Minister revealed the development on the sidelines of the ongoing African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 12, stating that the figure is expected to rise significantly in the coming weeks as more visa waiver deals are concluded.
“Expect more visa waiver agreements this year. Even within March, you’ll be hearing some good news. April, some good news. May, there’ll be some good news. Expect more,” Mr Ablakwa told journalists.
The expanded access includes a mix of fully visa-free travel, visa-on-arrival, and e-visa facilities, covering countries across Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Middle East.
Mr Ablakwa expressed strong optimism about the trajectory of Ghana’s diplomatic engagements, emphasizing that the goal is to position the Ghanaian passport among the most powerful in the world.
“We want the Ghanaian passport to be the most valued passport in Africa and one of the most valued anywhere in the world. And we are on course. We are very much on course,” he said.
He praised the technical teams at the Foreign Ministry for their relentless work behind the scenes.
“I’m excited about the progress we are making. I want to congratulate the team of diplomats who are helping me in the negotiations and doing a lot of heavy lifting as we engage with all of these countries. I’m really excited about what we are achieving with visa waivers since I became foreign minister,” he added.
The Minister stressed that the policy shift is more than just a travel convenience, it is a strategic economic tool. For Ghanaian businesses, it means faster access to regional and international markets without the bottlenecks of visa processing.
“Citizens can now travel at short notice to negotiate deals, secure partnerships, and explore investment opportunities without bureaucratic delays,” he explained.
The tourism and aviation sectors are also expected to benefit from reciprocal arrangements that make it easier for foreign nationals to visit Ghana.
Zambia is the latest country to sign a visa waiver agreement with Ghana, cementing its place among dozens of nations now offering eased entry terms to Ghanaian travellers.
Amid growing demand for the Ghanaian passport, Mr Ablakwa reassured the public that security features have been significantly upgraded to prevent fraud and misuse.
“Many people do not know that the Ghanaian passport is now probably the most secure in terms of the features we have. It’s now fully chip-embedded, no longer just biometric, and we are ahead of so many countries,” he stressed.
The enhanced security, he noted, will protect the integrity of the passport as its value and desirability continue to rise globally.
Destinations now open to Ghanaian passport holders include:
Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, eSwatini, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Botswana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Lesotho, Mauritania, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
Caribbean & Americas: Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, and Nicaragua.
Asia & Oceania: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Maldives, Micronesia, Palau, Philippines, Samoa, Vanuatu, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Tajikistan, Thailand, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Macao (SAR China).
Middle East: Iran, Jordan, and Syria.
Others include Bolivia, Colombia, Moldova, Suriname, and Albania.
Stay durations vary by country, ranging from 30 days to six months, with some destinations offering up to 180 days visa-free.
