Prez Mahama launches Ghana’s first e-visa platform, scraps visa-on-arrival for African passports

Ghana has launched the first electronic visa service portal, a move President John Dramani Mahama says is central to his administration’s vision of deeper African integration and economic openness.

The portal, officially launched on Monday, May 25, 2026, allows travellers to apply for, pay for, and receive visas entirely online, eliminating the need to visit a Ghanaian embassy or consulate in person.

In a headline announcement at the launch, President Mahama declared that African passport holders travelling to Ghana for business would no longer pay visa fees and must now apply exclusively through the new digital platform.

“Effective today, all holders of African passports travelling to Ghana for business will apply for a visa exclusively through the new online platform, and they will pay no visa fee,” the President said.

He simultaneously announced the end of Ghana’s visa-on-arrival arrangement, a policy he had introduced during his previous tenure in office.

“The previous visa-on-arrival arrangement for African passports, which I initiated in my previous term as president, is hereby discontinued and replaced by this more secure and efficient electronic visa regime,” he stated.

President Mahama was, however, quick to clarify that citizens of African countries with existing visa waiver agreements with Ghana would not be affected by the changes and would continue to enjoy unrestricted entry.

“For African countries with which Ghana has visa waiver agreements, citizens of those countries will continue to travel freely to Ghana without applying for visas. For Caribbean and other nations with which Ghana has visa waiver agreements, they also will continue to enter Ghana freely without applying for visas,” he said.

Beyond the immediate policy changes, President Mahama framed the e-Visa launch as part of a broader and longer-term ambition to make Ghana a spiritual and economic home for all people of African descent across the globe.

“Our long-term vision is even broader. We envisage a future, which is not too far, of a time where all people of African descent can travel to Ghana without paying any visa fee as they reconnect with their ancestry,” he stated.

To advance that vision, the President said he had tasked two ministries with developing the necessary framework.

“I have therefore directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior to work out the modalities required to advance this vision,” he added.

Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mubarak, described the portal as a transformative tool designed to dismantle bureaucratic inefficiencies while simultaneously signalling Ghana’s readiness to engage the world on its own terms.

“This platform does something powerful; it removes barriers. No more unnecessary delays, no more uncertainty, no more outdated processes. Instead, we offer speed, convenience and confidence,” he said.

The Interior Minister was emphatic that Ghana’s openness under the new system would not come at the expense of border security.

“The openness does not mean weakness. We are not opening our doors carelessly; we are strengthening them, and this platform ensures that security is smarter than ever before,” Mr. Mubarak stated.

He rounded off with a direct message to prospective visitors and investors: “We are telling the world that Ghana is ready for business, tourism, global partnership, and above all, Ghana is open for you.”

Source:Fiilafmonline/3News