President John Mahama has announced that Ghana will open its borders to all African passport holders. from May 25, 2026, day’Africa Day. But this promise has already been made several times.
What was announced
During the state visit of the President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa On April 2, 2026, Ghanaian President John Mahama declared:
From May 25, 2026, Africa Day, Ghana will introduce a free visa regime for all Africans. African nationals traveling to Ghana will receive their e-visa online, free of charge.
John Mahama, President of Ghana
In concrete terms, all African nationals will be able to obtain a free e-visa online for travel to Ghana, with no consular fees.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, called the initiative « transformer » on X, aimed at « boost tourism, facilitate cross-border traffic and stimulate intra-African trade ".
A promise repeated
Note that this announcement is not a first:
- 2024 The Akufo-Addo government was already talking about opening its borders to Africans.
- January 2025 In his last State of the Nation address, outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo confirmed that the law would come into force on January 1, 2025, describing it as «the logical next step after the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)».».
- April 2026 The new President Mahama relaunches the initiative with a symbolic date and a concrete mechanism (e-visa platform).
The difference this time : a dedicated e-visa system has been announced to support implementation, This suggests that the technical infrastructure may finally follow suit.
Ghana joins a select club With this measure, Ghana would be the latest African country to offer visa-free entry to all the continent's nationals, following in the footsteps of countries such as Rwanda, Seychelles, Gambia and Benin.
Before this announcement, Ghana already offered visa-free entry to citizens of 26 African countries and ranked 5th on the continent in terms of visa openness.
This announcement is part of Ghana's strategy to position itself as a pan-African hub. The country is capitalizing on its historical heritage (cradle of Pan-Africanism) and the success of the “Year of Return”launched in 2019, which had attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors from the diaspora. In addition, Ghana has negotiated 23 visa waiver agreements since 2025, This is one of the main reasons why the Group is expanding the international mobility of its own citizens.
During the same visit, Ghana and Zimbabwe signed 10 cooperation agreements, including a tourism partnership linking Victoria Falls to Cape Coast Castle.
Several points remain to be clarified :
- Authorized length of stay no official information yet
- Conditions of eligibility beyond the African passport
- Launch date of the e-visa platform
- While implementation will be actually effective May 25, given previous postponements
If this measure comes into effect, African travelers will no longer need to take consular steps to visit Ghana. A simple, free e-visa obtained online will suffice. We will update our information as soon as the practical details are confirmed by the Ghanaian authorities.
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