- Ghana secures reversal of US visa curbs after months of negotiations
- Ghanaians now eligible for five-year multiple entry visas
NEW YORK – Ghana’s foreign minister announced Friday that the United States has lifted visa restrictions on the West African nation following Ghana’s decision to accept deportees from America.
“Big win for Ghana! The US visa restrictions imposed on Ghana has been reversed,” Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa posted on X after a bilateral meeting with US officials on the margins of the UN General Assembly.
“Ghanaians can now be eligible for five-year multiple entry visas and other enhanced consular privileges,” he said. Ablakwa added that the news was delivered directly by US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker.
“I am really pleased that months of high-level diplomatic negotiations has led to a successful outcome,” he said.
Background to the restrictions
In June, the US government imposed visa curbs on Ghana, Cameroon, Ethiopia and Nigeria, limiting travellers to three-month, single-entry visas. Washington cited years of overstays, particularly by Ghanaian students, as justification for the move.
The reversal follows Ghana’s recent agreement to accept deportees from the United States, including third-party nationals from neighbouring West African states.
President John Mahama disclosed the deal on September 10, saying it aligned with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocol on free movement, which allows citizens to stay up to 90 days in other member countries.
“We were approached by the US to accept third-party nationals who were being removed,” Mahama said, stressing that Ghana’s decision was consistent with regional obligations rather than an endorsement of Washington’s hard-line immigration policies.
At least 14 West Africans have been deported to Ghana since early September, according to an AFP tally. While some were later transferred to Togo, rights groups and US-based lawyers criticised the conditions under which they were held in Ghana, alleging military detention and poor treatment. Ghana has maintained that it is acting on humanitarian grounds.
Diplomacy and relations
The lifting of restrictions signals a thaw in relations between Accra and Washington, strained under President Donald Trump’s second-term policies, which have included punitive tariffs and tighter immigration controls.
“It will be recalled that the US imposed visa restrictions on Ghana and other countries in July this year,” Ablakwa noted in his post. “It’s good to see healthier and stronger Ghana–USA relations.”
Analysts say the development underscores the complex balancing act African nations face as they navigate ties with Washington. For Ghana, the restored visa privileges represent not only relief for students and business travellers but also a diplomatic win at a time of tense global migration politics.
