US Lifts Visa Restrictions on Ghana, Restores Five-Year Multiple Entry Privileges

Ghana has secured a major diplomatic breakthrough as the United States has lifted the visa restrictions imposed on the country earlier this year.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, announced that Ghanaians are once again eligible for five-year multiple entry visas and other enhanced consular privileges.

According to him, the good news was officially communicated by the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker, during a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly.

“I am really pleased that months of high-level diplomatic negotiations has led to a successful outcome,” Mr. Ablakwa said, describing the development as a “big win for Ghana.”

It will be recalled that in July, the United States imposed visa restrictions on Ghana and a number of other countries. Citizens from the affected countries were limited to a maximum of three-month single entry visas. In Ghana’s case, the restrictions were attributed to years of visa overstays, particularly among students, under the Trump Administration.

Mr. Ablakwa noted that the reversal of the policy signals improved relations between Accra and Washington. “It’s good to see healthier and stronger Ghana-USA relations. For God and Country,” he declared.