Ghana Opens Visa-Waiver Talks With Luxembourg and Benelux Bloc

• Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa met Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly
• The proposed arrangement could cover the broader Benelux Union, including Belgium and the Netherlands, though no agreement has been concluded
• The Luxembourg talks form part of Ghana's wider push to expand visa-free travel, with 11 new waiver deals secured in 2025 alone

Ghana has begun exploratory discussions with Luxembourg over a potential visa-waiver arrangement that could broaden travel access for Ghanaian passport holders to Luxembourg and the wider Benelux region.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the discussions arose from a bilateral meeting between Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel, held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The proposed arrangement would extend beyond the two countries to potentially cover the Benelux Union, which groups together Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. No agreement has been finalised, and Ghanaian ordinary passport holders are advised to continue observing existing visa requirements when travelling to any of the three countries.

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Under current arrangements, Luxembourg directs Ghana-based applicants for short-stay visas to the Netherlands' embassy in Accra, while long-stay applications are processed through Belgium's embassy in Abidjan. The Ghana Foreign Ministry's visa-free list, updated on 8 September 2026, does not include Luxembourg, Belgium or the Netherlands among countries offering ordinary Ghanaian passport holders visa-free entry.

The Luxembourg discussions fit into a broader diplomatic effort led by Ablakwa to improve passport mobility for Ghanaians. The minister has indicated that Ghana secured 11 new visa-waiver agreements in 2025, and in 2026 the country progressed or completed arrangements with the Maldives, Zambia, Antigua and Barbuda, Russia and South Korea. The scope of these deals varies, with some covering ordinary passport holders and others restricted to diplomatic or service passports.

Economic Cooperation Also on the Agenda

Beyond travel, the two sides discussed deepening economic ties across several sectors, including value addition, digital technologies, agro-processing and industrial transformation.

Ghana's Foreign Ministry said the conversations centred on partnerships with the potential to generate employment, strengthen local industries and support sustainable development. Investment promotion and people-to-people relations were also raised during the meeting.

Should negotiations eventually produce a formal agreement, Ghanaian travellers would gain easier access to three closely integrated European economies. For now, however, no changes to existing requirements are in effect.

Source: YEN.com.gh