This was disclosed at a press conference addressed by Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, after the two held bilateral discussions in Kingston, Jamaica.
Ghanaians and Jamaicans can travel to each other’s country without a visa
Ghana and Jamaica have both waived entry visa requirements for citizens who want to travel to and from these two countries, with effect from July 1, 2019.
This was part of President Akufo-Addo’s two-day official visit to Jamaica.
Nana Akufo-Addo said that Ghana and Jamaica have an opportunity to building on their existing strong ties, imposed by culture and history, in order to gain maximum economic value for their respective populations.
“We cannot have visas standing in the way of those relations, so the decision has been taken by my government that, as Ghanaians benefit from visa-free arrangements here in Jamaica, we are also going to provide visa-free arrangements for Jamaicans in Ghana, to facilitate and also make it easier for you to come and join us for the ‘Year of Return’”.
The leaders also pledged to reactivate the Ghana-Jamaica Permanent Joint Commission for Co-operation, which has been dormant for some time. Nana Akufo-Addo added that when the Commission is well-structured it will serve as a legal framework for the doing of business between the two countries.
“Now, it has come to the time to give teeth to those relations by making sure the various areas of engagement in education, tourism, and cultural activity are specifically tied down. That is really my purpose of coming here, apart from a mission to sensitize you in Jamaica about an event that we are commemorating this year,” he added.
On his visit to the Caribbean, President Akufo-Addo said, has been to “strengthen the relations across the water, and build the bridge that we have to build over the Atlantic so that we could find a way of strengthening each other in growing and empowering our economies, to play a more and more critical role in the new global architecture that is being drawn up now. We are going to have relations that are intimate.”
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: news@pulselive.co.ke