President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the recent lifting of U.S. visa restrictions on Ghanaian nationals was achieved solely through dialogue and negotiation, with no financial deal involved.
Addressing the newly sworn-in Ambassadors and High Commissioners on Wednesday, October 1, President Mahama tackled the rumors head-on. He affirmed that the U.S. government’s decision to restore full visa privileges—including five-year multiple-entry B1/B2 visitor visas, was the result of Ghana’s principled diplomatic engagement, not financial settlement.
“Many of you are aware that Ghana became the only country subject to U.S. visa restrictions to secure a complete reversal from the Trump administration,” President Mahama said. “Let me state clearly that this outcome was negotiated in Ghana’s best interest… and let me also emphasise that there was no financial consideration as part of the understanding between Ghana and the United States.”
The president explained that the discussions were centered on mutual concerns, particularly the issue of visa overstays. He noted that some Ghanaians, especially students and official delegates, had remained in the U.S. beyond the duration allowed by their visas, prompting the original sanctions. “These are people who go and instead of coming back, they decide to stay. And so they [the U.S. authorities] have the record,” he explained.
President Mahama urged all Ghanaians seeking visas to respect the conditions of their stay, warning that the actions of a few could jeopardize access for everyone. “Those of you applying for visas, please, when you go, come back, because you affect everybody else,” he cautioned.
The visa sanctions, first imposed in July 2025 by the Trump Administration, had reduced the validity of U.S. visas for Ghanaians to just three months. The breakthrough came on September 26, when Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced that the U.S. had communicated its decision to restore normal visa issuance during a bilateral meeting at the UN General Assembly in New York. U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker described the change as a sign of deepening Ghana–U.S. relations.
The news has been widely celebrated in Ghana as a triumph of diplomacy and a testament to the effectiveness of the nation’s foreign policy under President Mahama’s leadership.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com
