Akufo-Addo Vows to Facilitate Visa-Free Entry for Africans Visiting Ghana in 2024

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced the government’s commitment to implement a visa-free policy for all Africans traveling to Ghana in the year 2024.

During the opening of the 2024 Africa Prosperity Dialogue on Thursday, January 25, the President revealed that his administration has initiated processes to actualize this policy within the current year.

Addressing participants, he stated, “I know that many of you had to acquire a visa to come to this event; we made a special arrangement for this conference. We reduced the visa acquisition fee by 50%, and we were thus able to receive your visa on arrival. The Government of Ghana is committed to ensuring visa-free access for all Africans traveling into our country, and the process has begun to implement the policy this year.”

The President urged for a thorough examination of these dialogues to meet the demands and expectations of the private sector. He also emphasized the importance of Africans working collaboratively to strengthen their governments within a free and fair democratic system.

“These dialogues have to examine critically the responsibilities and expectations of the private sector and demand the same of the public sector and expect that both can work as partners to achieve the Africa we want,” he urged.

The President called on Africans to unite efforts to gain the support of small traders and farmers, fostering belief that a single market for Africans can benefit them. The three-day program, themed “Developing Prosperity in Africa: Produce, Add, Value, and Trade,” is taking place at the Peduase Lodge and has attracted participants from around the world.

The Africa Prosperity Dialogues, organized by the APN in collaboration with the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat and the Government of Ghana, serves as an annual platform to bring together business executives, organizations, thought leaders, and political leaders to collaborate on driving the goal of building the world’s largest single market in Africa. The African Union officially adopted the Africa Prosperity Dialogues on February 19, 2023, as a crucial instrument for mobilizing private sector ownership and support for the continent’s AfCFTA project. This decision was made during the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.