Ghana?s outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo Friday announced visa-free travel for all African passport holders from the start of this year, marking a step towards continental economic integration.

The announcement came during his final state of the nation address as he prepares to step down on January 6 after two terms in office.

?I am proud to have approved visa-free travel to Ghana for all African passport holders, with effect from the beginning of this year,? Akufo-Addo said in his speech to parliament.

?This is the logical next step to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the workings of the largest trading bloc in the world,? he said.

?All these are essential elements to the realisation of the AU?s Agenda 2063, which envisages an integrated and connected Africa by 2063,? he added, referring to the African Union?s development blueprint for a 50-year period.

Ghana joins Rwanda, Seychelles, Gambia and Benin in offering visa-free entry to African travellers.

Ghana had previously allowed visa-free access to citizens of 26 African nations and visas on arrival for travellers from 25 others, while only two African countries ? Eritrea and Morocco ? required a visa before entry.

The visa-free policy builds on Ghana?s efforts to strengthen its international reputation, particularly through initiatives like the 2019 Year of Return, which celebrated the African diaspora and commemorated 400 years since the transatlantic slave trade.

The campaign attracted thousands of visitors, including celebrities, to Ghana and led to some receiving citizenship, bolstering the country?s global profile as a cultural and tourism hub.

Akufo-Addo also used his last address to trumpet economic progress under his leadership, citing an increase in Ghana?s gross international reserves to $8 billion, from $6.2 billion in 2017, and significant GDP growth in 2024.

?Economic growth has returned to the pre-Covid trajectory,? he said, projecting a 6.3-percent growth rate for 2025.

?I leave behind a Ghana that is thriving, one that has navigated significant global challenges with remarkable tenacity, whose economy is steadily rebounding, and whose institutions are operating effectively,? he said.

The oil-and-gold-rich West African nation is one of the most stable democracies in Africa.

Since 2022, it has been battling one of its worst economic crises in decades and is currently under a $3-billion International Monetary Fund relief programme.

The outgoing president hands over power to John Mahama, who won the December elections. (The Guardian)

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