Ghana has been ranked fifth among African countries with the highest Schengen visa rejection rates in 2024, according to new data released by the LAGO Collective, a London-based research group.
The report reveals that Ghanaian applicants faced a 45.5% refusal rate, contributing to a broader trend of disproportionately high visa denials across the continent.
The findings, corroborated by data from the European Commission and Henley & Partners, point to systemic challenges faced by African travellers.
These include stringent documentation requirements, perceptions of high immigration risk, and structural barriers such as limited consular services and opaque application processes.
In total, African applicants lost nearly €60 million ($67.5 million) in non-refundable Schengen visa fees in 2024. With each application costing €90, these denials represent not just travel restrictions but substantial financial loss—an issue that researchers like Marta Foresti, founder of LAGO Collective, have termed “reverse remittances.”
“The poorest countries in the world pay the richest countries in the world money for not getting visas,” Foresti told CNN.
She added that the data highlights deep-rooted discrimination, as African countries with fewer applications often face the highest rejection rates.
In Nigeria alone, over 50,000 short-stay visa applications were denied in 2024, resulting in a loss of more than €4.5 million in application fees. Across the continent, rejection rates reached as high as 62.8%.
Top 10 African Countries with Highest Schengen Visa Rejection Rates (2024):
Comoros – 62.8%
Guinea-Bissau – 47.0%
Senegal – 46.8%
Nigeria – 45.9%
Ghana – 45.5%
Republic of the Congo – 43.0%
Mali – 42.9%
Guinea – 41.1%
Burundi – 40.0%
Ethiopia – 36.1%
The report calls for greater transparency, fairness, and reform in the visa application process to address what many experts see as a growing barrier to global mobility and economic opportunity for Africans.
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