The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has stated that E-Visas are being rolled out for non-Ghanaian nationals who apply for visas in Ghana’s mission abroad to come to Ghana.
In a Press statement, to clarify news making the rounds that the minister has contradicted the Vice President’s Dr, Mahamudu Bawumia’s claims that the Ghana card can be use to travel outside Ghana, she noted that her address to journalist was not focused on the use of the Ghana card.
The minster has called for the address which was during the Opening ceremony of the Site Acceptance Test (SAT) for the implementation of the new E-visa system on Tuesday, July, 19, 2022 to be placed proper perspective.
“The Foreign Minister, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey did not contradict the Vice President, His Excellency Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, in her address to journalists during the press conference at the Ministry last Tuesday, July 19, 2022 as alleged by the news article, but rather corroborated his position. The address of the Foreign Minister should be placed in the proper perspective, as it was not focused on the use of the Ghana Card, but on e-visas which were being rolled out for non-Ghanaian nationals who apply for visas in Ghana’s Missions abroad to come to Ghana.”
The address to journalist also emphasized “the merit of the project that is to enhance the security features of Ghana’s visa regime”. “The Minister in her subsequent engagement with the media, confirmed what the Vice President said that Ghanaians living abroad can enter Ghana with the Ghana cards at all points of entry of Ghana.“
Vice President Bawumia at the launch of the ePharmacy platform on Monday reiterated the multiple benefits of the Ghana card, including its acceptance as a travel document for Ghanaians returning home.
Diasporan Ghanaians could also use it to return home without requiring a visa, as they would have been required when travelling back to Ghana on their foreign passports.
Following Dr. Bawumia’s comment on Monday, an address by the Foreign Affairs Minister on Tuesday explaining Ghana’s upcoming e-visa, was misconstrued, by what the Foreign Minister describes as “misleading and unfortunate’ headline, which said the Foreign Minister had contradicted the Vice President on the status of the Ghana card as a travel document.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey says “at the moment the Ghana card can be used in the near future as a travel document to other countries either within or outside of ECOWAS…”
