Peduase Presidential Lodge, Aburi, Eastern Region, Ghana//-Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo today announced that the government has begun processes towards the implementation of a visa-free policy for all Africans this year.
He made this known at the opening ceremony of the 2024 three-day Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) on Thursday 25 January.
Mr Akufo-Ado noted that coming to this conference, participants from other African countries had a discounted visa fee and visa on arrival.
However, the Ghanaian president assured that before he leaves office this year, Ghana will give visa-free access to all African countries.
To this end, Mr Akufo-Addo said the policy document is in the works and it would surely be implemented before he finishes his second term.
Currently, Seychelles, The Gambia, Rwanda and Benin are the only African countries that provide visa-free entry for all African citizens.
Touching on the theme-‘Developing Prosperity in Africa: Produce, Add, Value and Trade’, he said: “Many of you had to acquire a visa to come to this event, we made a special arrangement for this conference, we reduced the visa acquisition fee by 50%, and we were thus able to receive your visa on arrival”.
“The government of Ghana is committed to ensuring visa-free for all Africans, for all Africans travelling into our country, and the process has begun to get the policy implemented this year,” Mr Akufo-Addo added.
The Acting CEO of Africa Prosperity Network (APN) Secretariat, Njack Kane said: “We are committed to changing the future of Africa through meaningful dialogues. We are extremely proud for the second time running for demonstratable commitment to the course of Africa”.
The outcome of the three-day dialogues should be reflected in our policy formulation, in the classrooms, among others”.
The CEO, of Development Bank Ghana, Kwamina Duker added that they are building local financial institutions to support local businesses to help propel the growth and development of Ghana.
“We are also forging partnerships to speed up digital transformation to enhance financial inclusion”.
Alex Dadey, Chairman, of KGL and Chairman of Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) said the theme of the event must transform beyond just a theme but critical for deepening production and value addition.
“For Africa to achieve growth, the private sector must take the lead”. Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) can lead to tremendous growth thereby creating jobs and better living conditions for the people, he stated.
The task of marketing the continent, according to Mr Dadey should not be left in the hands of policymakers but should include the expertise of the diaspora.
The Secretary General of AfCFTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene noted that they have recorded tremendous success in ensuring that the vision of their forefathers is achieved.
“We have taken a concrete step towards the achieving of a single market in Africa. We also conclude the Protocol on Digital Trade next month”.
He acknowledged: “It is not the government that trades. It is rather the private sector that trades”.
Former President of Mozambique, Joaquim Alberto Chissano said he was full of optimism that the prosperity of Africa is a real one. “It should be inclusive and so no one should be left behind. It is us who shape the narrative of the African dream. We should ensure that all nations in Africa are secure. We must ensure that our people are safe from poverty, and climate change, among others”.
The ongoing APD organised by the Africa Prosperity Network (APN) in collaboration with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat in Accra seeks to emphasise the unique opportunity that the AfCFTA offers Africa and its people to break free from the pervasive perceptions of poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment with which the continent is so often associated.
Five African heads of state and another from the Caribbean, as well as several top businesses and thought leaders from across the African continent and the diaspora are participating in the second edition of the APD, which is currently underway at the Presidential Lodge at Peduase, in the Aburi Hills of the Eastern Region of Ghana.
