The government has reintroduced visa-on-arrival for travellers to Ghana ahead of the Christmas season, the Minister for Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah has announced.
This takes effect from December 1, 2023, to January 15, 2024.
The Ministry of Transport in a statement which announced the waiver said it forms part of the government’s Beyond the Return agenda.
In a letter dated November 21 and addressed to airlines operating in the country, the Minister said the decision was taken in consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ghana Immigration Service and the Ghana Tourism Authority.
“Following consultation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ghana Immigration Service and the Ghana Tourism Authority, approval has been given for passengers travelling to Ghana to opt for visa-on-arrival waiving the requirement for prior approval. This arrangement is effective from 1st December, 2023 to 15th January, 2024.”
It directed airlines to update their system to “reflect this new arrangement and those responsible for checking-in passengers travelling to Ghana not to insist on entry visas prior to their boarding.”
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The visa-on-arrival waiver first operated in December 2022, beginning on December 22 and ending on January 15, 2023.
The policy falls under the “Beyond the Return” initiative, a ten-year plan under the theme, “A decade of African Renaissance – 2020-2030”.
Beyond the Return is a ten-year project and a follow-up to the “Year Of Return” initiative which was introduced in 2019 to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the arrival of the first recorded enslaved Africans in Jamestown Virginia in 1619 with the aim of welcoming all people of African origin to Africa, especially Ghana.
Its extended version- the “Beyond the Return”- the government says, is being built on 7 pillars including Experience Ghana, Invest in Ghana, Diaspora pathways to Ghana, Celebrate Ghana, Brand Ghana, Give back to Ghana and Promote Pan-African heritage and innovation.