Ghana will remove visa requirements for all African travelers starting May 25, 2026, President John Dramani Mahama announced, making the country one of a small but growing number of African states to adopt continent-wide free entry.
Mahama made the announcement during the inaugural state visit of Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa to Accra, where both leaders reaffirmed bilateral ties. “When we commemorate Africa Day, Ghana will commence a free visa regime for all Africans,” Mahama said.
The policy forms part of a broader e-visa reform the government plans to launch next month.
“The free visa for Africans would be a component of a new e-visa policy the Mahama Administration is launching next month,” Foreign Minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa posted on X.
Ghana joins Benin, the Gambia, Rwanda, and Kenya, all of which have implemented similar policies in recent years. Seychelles maintains a long-standing visa-free entry policy for all visitors.
The government expects the measure to support tourism and accelerate intra-African trade, aligning it with the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), whose secretariat Ghana hosts in Accra.
Mahama said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue pursuing visa waiver agreements to expand travel access for Ghanaian passport holders. Ghana has negotiated 23 such agreements since last year, according to Ablakwa.
The move positions Ghana to deepen its role as a hub for African integration at a moment when continental free movement remains uneven.
Fewer than half of African Union member states offer visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to all other African nationals, leaving mobility a persistent constraint on regional business activity.
