General News of Wednesday, 8 November 2023

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Ghana 'seriously thinking' about visa-free entry for all Africans - Ayorkor Botchwey

Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has hinted that Ghana is considering visa-free travel for all Africans and people of African descent in the diaspora.

According to her, the government is hastening efforts to ensure that this goes through soon.

This comes after South Africa and Ghana signed the free-visa waiver for 90-day travels, which began on November 1, 2023.

The Minister noted that successfully implementing visa-free travel to all African countries will be of enormous economic benefit to Ghana’s tourism sector.

“It is something that we are seriously thinking about, I know Rwanda has announced, and Kenya is also looking into it. We are also going to look into it seriously for our fellow Africans and also those of African descent in the diaspora.

“We want to be able to attract them, they come in their numbers to Ghana through the Year of Return, Beyond the Return, because Ghana has become that pilgrimage country for them to touch base with the motherland,” he was quoted by asaaseradio.com.

Additionally, she assured that the ministries involved have been working behind the clock to reach a decision soon.

“And so, it is something that we are seriously thinking about and we are actually on the drawing board looking at it. It is not just the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but the Interior, Tourism, we are all looking at it and we will come out very soon,” the minister said.

SSD/NOQ

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