Ghana has rolled out a sweeping new visa policy that drastically reduces visa processing times, aiming to attract more investors and tourists.
As announced by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, visa applications to Ghana will now be processed within a maximum of five working days—a sharp departure from the previous four to six weeks.
“Visa applications to travel to Ghana will now be processed within a maximum of 5 working days. This new visa policy takes immediate effect,” Ablakwa declared in a Facebook post.
According to him, the Ministry has implemented new operational measures across Ghana’s diplomatic missions to ensure the new timeline is adhered to.
“We have put in place adequate measures at our diplomatic missions to drastically cut down the visa processing time from the troubling average of 4 to 6 weeks to our new 5-day directive.”
The announcement follows President John Mahama’s call during his January 7th, 2025 inaugural address that “Ghana is opened for business.” Ablakwa says this new policy is a direct response to the President’s vision.
“On 7th January, 2025 — President Mahama declared in his inaugural address that ‘Ghana is opened for business’ and we at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are determined to offer practical meaning through expedited consular facilitation and policy coherence to fully achieve the President’s vision.”
The Foreign Minister emphasized his commitment to removing red tape and making Ghana more competitive on the global stage.
“As Foreign Minister, I am committed to positioning Ghana as the preferred destination for investors and tourists by making Ghana strongly competitive and eliminating bureaucratic bottlenecks.”
However, Ablakwa was quick to clarify that the expedited process does not imply automatic visa approval. “I must however add that this 5-day visa processing policy does not by any stretch of imagination mean automatic visa approval; a decision will be made within 5 working days as to whether one is eligible for a Ghanaian visa or not.”
