The United States of America has lifted visa restrictions on Ghana, restoring access to longer-term visas after months of strained relations over deportation disputes.
Samuel Ablakwa, Ghana’s foreign minister, confirmed the decision on Friday, announcing that Ghanaians can once again apply for five-year multiple-entry visas. He said the change followed “months of high-level diplomatic negotiations” and was formally communicated to him by Allison Hooker, US Under secretary of state for political affairs, during bilateral talks at the UN General Assembly in New York.
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“This good news means Ghanaians can now benefit from five-year visas and other enhanced consular privileges,” Ablakwa wrote on X. “I am pleased that our efforts have finally paid off.”
The move marks a reversal of the restrictions imposed earlier this year, when Washington slashed visa validity for Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and Ethiopia to just three months and limited them to single entry. At the time, the US Department of State said the policy was part of a global reciprocity programme, ensuring that American citizens receive similar treatment abroad. It also linked the restrictions to concerns over countries refusing to accept deported migrants.
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In July, Yusuf Tuggar, Nigerian foreign minister revealed that Washington had pressured Abuja to accept Venezuelan deportees, including prisoners, a request Nigeria flatly rejected. He argued that with a population of more than 200 million, Nigeria could not be “a dumping ground for deportees.”
Ghana, however, took a different approach. In September, president John Mahama disclosed that his government had agreed to receive West African nationals—including Nigerians—deported from the US. He acknowledged that the US had asked Ghana to help process third-country deportees, describing the request as a sticking point that had strained bilateral ties.
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That concession now appears to have unlocked a thaw. On Saturday, the US embassy in Accra confirmed that the maximum visa validity periods for Ghanaians had been restored. “The maximum validity allowed for the B1/B2 visitor visa is again five years, multiple entry,” the embassy said. “The maximum validity for the F1 student visa is again four years, multiple entry.”
