Ghana introduces 5-day visa policy to attract tourists and investors

The Ghanaian government has just announced a radical shake-up in its visa processing system, slashing the timeline from a sluggish four to six weeks down to just five working days.

Travelers and investors have long complained about Ghana’s delayed visa processing. Long wait times have been a thorn in the side of tourism and business, with many preferring countries with easier entry processes. However, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has recently implemented a new visa policy.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs made this announcement in a Facebook post on Tuesday, May 21, 2025. The new policy, effective immediately, promises swift decisions: approval or denial within five working days.

In the post, he wrote, “We have put in place adequate measures at our diplomatic missions to drastically cut down the visa processing time from the troubling average of four to six weeks to our new five-day directive.”

According to Hon. Ablakwa, this move is in line with President John Dramani Mahama’s pledge in his January 7, 2025, inaugural address that “Ghana is open for business.”

While the government touts this as a game-changer, skeptics argue that cutting down processing time doesn’t necessarily mean cutting down bureaucracy.