A fresh controversy has emerged over the National Democratic Congress government's claim that Ghanaians now enjoy visa-free access to 42 countries.
A fresh controversy has emerged over the National Democratic Congress government’s claim that Ghanaians now enjoy visa-free access to 42 countries.
The Member of Parliament for Bosome Freho and Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, has described the assertion as misleading and detached from the realities of ordinary citizens.
Speaking in response to remarks made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa at the launch of the 2025 Diaspora Summit, the MP argued that the widely publicised figure does not reflect the actual travel opportunities available to the average Ghanaian.
According to him, while the government has touted the figure as a major diplomatic achievement, the reality is that only about 17 of those countries genuinely allow visa-free entry to holders of ordinary Ghanaian passports.
The remaining destinations, he explained, restrict such privileges to holders of diplomatic, service, or official passports — a category that covers a narrow group of state officials, diplomats, and senior government functionaries.
For the vast majority of Ghanaians, including traders, teachers, farmers, students and professionals, those destinations remain firmly out of reach without going through the often arduous visa application process.
Asafo-Adjei stressed that this distinction is not a technicality but a fundamental issue of truth and transparency.
Ghana, with a population exceeding 34 million, is overwhelmingly made up of ordinary passport holders. Presenting limited diplomatic exemptions as a nationwide benefit, he argued, amounts to overstating government achievements and misinforming the public.
He cited countries such as Germany, China, India, Brazil, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates — all frequently mentioned in official communications — noting that none of them currently offer visa-free entry to ordinary Ghanaian passport holders.
A trader in Juapong, a farmer in Bosome Freho or a nurse in Tamale, he said, cannot simply book a flight to these countries without first obtaining a visa, despite claims suggesting otherwise.
According to the MP, this reality exposes a troubling gap between political messaging and lived experience.
“When visa-free access enjoyed only by a privileged few is portrayed as a national gain, it erases the everyday struggles of ordinary citizens,” he noted, adding that such narratives risk undermining public trust in governance.
He further argued that the distinction between diplomatic and ordinary passports is basic knowledge within Foreign Service practice, making any failure to clarify the difference at a high-profile public event particularly concerning.
“This is not an innocent oversight,” he suggested, “but an inflation of achievement that does not reflect the truth on the ground.”
While acknowledging that limited visa waiver agreements are a normal part of international diplomacy, the MP insisted that honesty must underpin public communication. “Diplomacy thrives on credibility,” he said.
“When facts are overstated for applause, credibility suffers.”
In his concluding remarks, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh called on government officials to present facts plainly and accurately, stressing that Ghanaians deserve clarity rather than political embellishment.
“Numbers matter. Beneficiaries matter. Truth matters,” he said. “In foreign affairs, credibility is not optional — it is the very currency of leadership.”
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