Ghana and Russia have signed a visa waiver agreement for holders of diplomatic and service passports, in a move expected to deepen bilateral relations and facilitate official exchanges between the two countries.
The agreement was signed on Monday, August 17, 2026, at the start of a three-day official visit to Russia by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, at the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
It is the first visa waiver agreement of its kind between Ghana and Russia since the two countries established formal diplomatic relations on January 14, 1958.
The agreement is expected to serve as a first step towards negotiations for enhanced visa privileges for other categories of travellers, as Ghana and Russia seek to strengthen trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges.
During bilateral talks, the two ministers expressed their commitment to using the official visit to explore broader areas of strategic cooperation between the two countries.
The areas identified include educational exchanges, energy, agriculture, security and defence, as well as minerals exploration and other sectors of mutual interest.
Speaking at a press briefing, Mr Ablakwa expressed the government’s appreciation to Russia for its cooperation and support towards Ghana’s industrialisation and job creation agenda.
He said the deepening of relations between the two countries would provide opportunities for greater economic cooperation and strengthen partnerships in areas that support Ghana’s development objectives.
The three-day visit is expected to further consolidate the longstanding relations between Ghana and Russia and open new avenues for cooperation across a number of strategic sectors.
Mr Ablakwa also called for an Africa-led strategy, backed by Russia, to tackle terrorism and violent extremism in the Sahel region.
He welcomed Russia’s cooperation and support for Ghana’s efforts to counter violent extremism in the Sahel, but said a sustainable response should be led by African countries, with support from international partners including Russia.
The minister also mentioned that greater cooperation was needed to address the security threat in the region, where militant groups have expanded their activities in recent years.
Meanwhile Russia has doubled scholarships for Ghanaian students from 120 to 240.
The fully funded scholarships will give priority to students pursuing courses in Artificial Intelligence (AI), engineering, petroleum sciences and pharmaceuticals.
According to Mr Ablakwa, Ghana and Russia have also agreed to deepen cooperation in Ghana’s peaceful nuclear energy programme and green transition objectives.
He noted that the two countries would work towards Ghana’s plan to add 700 megawatts of nuclear power to its energy mix as part of efforts to diversify the country’s energy sources.
“Following my ongoing official visit to Russia, Russian scholarships for Ghanaian students have now been doubled from 120 each academic year to 240,” Mr Ablakwa said in a post on social media.
He further indicated that Ghana and Russia would also work together on international issues, including counterterrorism, climate change and reform of the United Nations.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
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