Ghana, Malawi deepen ties with fresh push for visa free travel
Ghana and Malawi are taking new steps to strengthen their decades long partnership, with both nations signalling support for a future where Africans can travel freely across the continent.
A Ghanaian delegation met in Lilongwe with George Tapatula Chaponda, Malawi foreign affairs minister, and his team to discuss efforts aimed at removing visa barriers between African countries. Officials at the meeting said both sides shared a strong commitment to building a more united Africa that prioritises open borders and greater trade among its people.
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The relationship between the two states is rooted in history. During the independence era, Kwame Nkrumah invited Hastings Kamuzu Banda to Ghana in 1953 to practise medicine and participate in the continent’s liberation journey. Banda would later become Malawi first president. That early partnership helped shape a bond that has endured through generations.
Today ties remain close. Malawi newly sworn in vice president Jane Ansah is married to a Ghanaian, Bishop Joseph Addo Ansah, further reflecting the personal connections that support diplomatic ones.
The Lilongwe talks focused on how easier travel can boost business, tourism, and people to people exchanges. Advocates for the initiative argue that removing visa restrictions between African states will help unlock economic opportunity, reduce bureaucracy, and promote a stronger shared identity.
The push aligns with the wider African Union agenda to promote regional integration. Supporters say that Ghana and Malawi demonstrating cooperation could encourage other countries to follow.
Read also: Ghana backs continent-wide campaign for visa-free Africa
Both sides left the meeting describing it as productive and forward looking. Further work will continue at the technical and political level, as the two governments explore practical steps toward achieving a visa free system that they hope will serve as a model for the continent.
