By Hannah Dadzie
President John Dramani Mahama has officially launched Ghana’s electronic visa system, declaring that no African travelling to Ghana for business or tourism will pay visa fees under the new regime.
The launch, held on African Union Day, marked what the President described as a major milestone in Ghana’s efforts to build a modern, efficient and globally competitive state through digital transformation and enhanced border management.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Mahama said the initiative reflects Ghana’s determination to embrace innovation, strengthen continental integration and improve service delivery.
“We are not merely launching a digital platform. We are affirming Ghana’s readiness to embrace a new era of mobility, connectivity, innovation and economic opportunity,” he stated.
According to the President, the e-Visa system will allow travellers from around the world to apply online, upload supporting documents electronically, make secure digital payments and receive travel authorisation through their email or mobile phones.
He explained that the platform is integrated into Ghana’s Advanced Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record systems and linked to international crime and watchlist databases to strengthen security screening before visas are issued.
“While Ghana will continue to warmly welcome citizens from across the world, every entry into the Republic will remain subject to strengthened security screening and established immigration protocols,” he said.
President Mahama announced that, effective immediately, all African passport holders travelling to Ghana for business or tourism will apply through the new online platform without paying visa fees.
“The financial barrier to African travel has been removed,” he declared.
He further announced the discontinuation of the visa-on-arrival arrangement for African passport holders introduced during his previous administration, explaining that it has now been replaced with the more secure and efficient electronic visa regime.
However, citizens of countries that already have visa waiver agreements with Ghana, including some African and Caribbean nations, will continue to enter the country without visas.
The President said the initiative was in line with Ghana’s long-standing Pan-African vision championed by Kwame Nkrumah and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 framework for free movement and continental integration. He noted that Ghana was taking decisive action to implement the African Union Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons despite slow progress across the continent.
“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,” he said.
President Mahama also revealed plans to extend the visa-free policy in future to all people of African descent reconnecting with their ancestral homeland in Ghana.
“I have therefore directed the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior to begin work expeditiously on the modalities required to advance this mission,” he disclosed.
The President urged African Union member states to accelerate the implementation of the Free Movement Protocol to support the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area and deepen economic integration.
“While some countries are expelling fellow Africans and making them feel unwelcome, Ghana proudly welcomes them and affirms that this is your home,” he stated.
As part of broader immigration reforms, President Mahama directed the Ministry of the Interior and relevant agencies to expand the electronic platform to automate the processing of work permits and residence permits to reduce bureaucracy and improve the ease of doing business.
He also announced new upgrades at Ghana’s airports, including the installation of 3D scanners at Terminals 2 and 3 of Kotoka International Airport, which will eliminate the need for travellers to remove laptops and liquids from baggage during screening.
Additional screening equipment expected in August, he said, will also spare passengers the inconvenience of removing shoes and belts at security checkpoints.
President Mahama commended the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Transport, the Ghana Immigration Service and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority for their collaboration in implementing the initiative. He emphasised that the e-Visa platform was developed entirely by Ghanaian experts, describing it as a testament to Ghanaian ingenuity and technological capacity.
The President later demonstrated the system live by approving the first electronic visa application, reportedly submitted by a Serbian national, before officially declaring the e-Visa system operational.
