AUTHORITIES of United Arab Emirates have approved a Visa free entry into the country for Ghanaians.
This is the outcome of the visa free deal between the nations.
The parliament approved a Visa Waiver Agreement for diplomatic, service/special and ordinary passport holders.
The free entry approved for diplomatic and other official categories is because the holders’ conduct are usually in line with public and state security apparatus.
The deal, approved August 5, 2021, follows the adoption of the Foreign Affairs Committee Report on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ghana and the UAE.
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway had presented the MoU to the House on May 26, 2021.
The consent in principle was first reached on November 18, 2019. Ghanaians can henceforth stay in the Emirate for not more than 90 days.
The agreement comprises structured visa regimes for both countries and does not impose obligations to admit people who are considered to be of questionable character.
The Ghanaian parliament says while visa waiver arrangements to facilitate the movement of diplomats and government officials are common, this one makes ordinary passport holders beneficiaries.
Nigeria and the UAE have been enmeshed in a diplomatic row over COVID-19 protocol.
The UAE authorities had instructed Nigerian travellers at the Lagos and Abuja airports to take another PCR test on arrival in Dubai.
But Hadi Sirika, the minister of aviation, criticised the decision and termed it “discriminatory profiling” of Nigerian travellers.
In a reaction the UAE government suspended flight entry into the country from Nigeria until August 15, 2021.
In Henley and Partners’ current world’s passport ranking, Nigeria is ranked 101 with 46 access countries, while Ghana ranks 84 with 64 access countries.
