Ghana and Luxembourg agree to start talks on a visa waiver covering Benelux

Pinned summary · as of 07:15

Ghana and Luxembourg will open negotiations on a visa waiver that could extend to the wider Benelux region. Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, reached the understanding with his Luxembourg counterpart, Xavier Bettel, when they met on the margins of the 81st UN General Assembly.

What we know

• Ablakwa and Bettel, who is Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister as well as its foreign minister, met on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
• The two countries agreed to open talks on a possible visa waiver arrangement that would take in Luxembourg and the wider Benelux union.
• Their economic agenda centred on adding value to products, digital technology, agro-processing and industrial transformation.
• Both ministers said closer economic ties should create jobs, support local industries and contribute to sustainable development.
• They also exchanged views on global and regional events, security, democratic values, human rights and the need for open dialogue between partners.
• The ministers looked at ways to strengthen development cooperation, investment and contacts between citizens, including Ghana's engagement with European partners, and pledged to continue talking and to cooperate through multilateral bodies.

Why it matters for Ghana

A visa waiver, if talks produce one, would make it easier for Ghanaian travellers, business people and students to visit Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. The focus on agro-processing and value addition speaks to Ghana's push to earn more from its own produce and to create jobs at home. For now the countries have only agreed to start discussions, so no waiver is in place.