Russia and Ghana have inked an agreement waiving visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and service passports, as the two countries seek to deepen bilateral ties and expand cooperation in trade, investment and other sectors.
The agreement was reached during talks in Moscow between Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The arrangement will allow eligible Ghanaian and Russian officials to travel between the two countries without obtaining visas, easing official travel and facilitating government-to-government contacts.
The agreement comes as Moscow seeks to expand its economic and diplomatic engagement across Africa, while Ghana is looking to broaden its international partnerships in areas including trade, investment, education and technology.
For Ghana, the deal could facilitate more frequent high-level exchanges with Russia and support efforts to develop bilateral economic ties. Ghana is Africa’s largest gold producer and seeks to attract investment and expand value-added activities in mining and other sectors.
The agreement is part of wider efforts by Moscow to strengthen relations with African countries. During high-level consultations with the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa in July, the two sides discussed cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, energy, technology, food security, healthcare and industrialisation, while the AU welcomed growing Russian investment on the continent.
The visa agreement also comes against the backdrop of concerns in Ghana over the recruitment of its nationals to fight for Russian forces in the war in Ukraine. Accra has said Moscow agreed to halt the recruitment of Ghanaians after Ghana reported that at least 62 of its citizens had been killed while serving with Russian forces and 15 others remained missing.
The latest agreement adds a practical channel for closer diplomatic engagement between the two countries, while their wider relationship continues to develop across economic and political areas.
It also comes ahead of the third Russia-Africa Summit, scheduled to be held in Moscow on Oct. 28-29, where Russia and African governments are expected to discuss trade, investment and other areas of cooperation.
