President Mahama leaves Accra for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

President John Dramani Mahama has left Accra for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to attend the 39th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.

President Mahama, who is leading a number of engagements for the Union including Reparations, Gender and Financial Inclusion will co-host a number of high level side events during the period of the Summit.

He will also host a breakfast event on Saturday on the Accra Reset initiative dubbed ‘Addis Reckoning’.

President Mahama is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with other African Leaders and heads of multilateral organisations, and participate in an Italy- African Forum.

Also in Addis Ababa will be the First Lady, Mrs Lordina Dramani Mahama, who will attend the Summit of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD).

President Mahama and the First Lady are expected back in Accra on Monday, 16 February.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who is also in Ethiopia for the same sevent has announced that holders of the Ghanaian passport can now travel to 50 countries without visa.

This number is expected to increase in the coming days as Ghana signs more visa waiver agreements with other countries.

This was disclosed by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on the sidelines of the ongoing AU summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on February 12.

This development, the Minister believes, will expand travel opportunities and boost trade for Ghanaian businesses as it increases the country’s relevance globally.

“Expect more visa waiver agreements this year. Even within the month of March, you’ll be hearing some good news. April, some good news. May, there’ll be some good news. Expect more,” he told journalists.

He however did not mention the list of countries.

According to Mr Ablakwa, “We want the Ghanaian passport to be the most valued passport in Africa and one of the most valued anywhere in the world. And we are on course. We are very much on course.”

He commended staff of the Ministry for their hard work and urged them to forge ahead.
“I’m excited about the progress we are making, and I want to congratulate the team of diplomats I work with who are helping me in the negotiations and who are in the advance team doing a lot of heavy lifting as we negotiate with all of these countries. And I’m really excited about what we are achieving with visa waivers since I became foreign minister,” he noted.
He also touted the security features of the new passport.
“Remember that the passport itself, many people do not know that it is now probably the most secure in terms of the security features we have. It’s now fully chip-embedded, no longer biometric, and we are ahead of so many countries,” Mr Ablakwa stressed.

At its core, a visa waiver allows citizens to travel between countries without the lengthy and often costly process of securing a visa in advance

For Ghanaian businesses, this means easier access to new markets. Tourism also stands to grow, as reciprocal arrangements encourage more visitors into Ghana, supporting hospitality, aviation and related industries.

Citizens can travel at short notice to negotiate deals, secure partnerships and explore investment opportunities without bureaucratic delays.

Zambia s the latest country to sign a visa waiver agreement with Ghana, thus joining a growing list of countries to do so.

The Foreign Affairs Minister said the move will deepen diplomacy, boost trade and open doors for citizens and businesses alike.

He however adds that demand for the passport is expected to increase, noting that security features have been enhanced to deal with fraudsters who may want to take undue advantage of the system.

“I am also making sure that we improve security so that our passports will not get into the wrong hands. Because you see, as we sign more of these visa waiver agreements, many people will be envious and will be trying to infiltrate. You know, the bad guys will try to lay hands on our passport, will try to acquire Ghanaian passports when they are not citizens and are not entitled to have Ghanaian passports. So, be assured that wehave improved the security,” the Minister stated.
“We have invested in AI tools and modern technology to make us ahead of what the bad guys will be trying to do. So great times for Ghanaian passport holders, and we are doing all of this with courier delivery, all the 16 regions, doing all of this within even a reduced fee structure,”Mr Ablakwa noted.