Ghana’s Ambassador to Egypt, Professor Justice Solomon Korantwi-Barimah, has proposed a reciprocal visa waiver agreement for diplomatic and service passport holders between Ghana and Egypt.

In addition, Ambassador Professor Korantwi-Barimah has requested for the facilitation of appropriate work permit visas for Ghanaian local staff permanently working with Ghana’s Mission in Cairo to facilitate their work while ending the tourist visa status currently being given to them.

He made the proposal in Cairo when he called on the Chief of Protocol and Assistant Foreign Minister for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Ambassador El Dessouki Youssef, to present his Open Letters.

“Ghana and Egypt share a strong bond of friendship and common interests, pioneered by the First President of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Gamal Abdel Nasser, the First President of the Arab Republic of Egypt”, he noted and praised the two former presidents for their key role and the strong foundations laid in 

While extending warm greetings from President John Dramani Mahama to his Egyptian counterpart, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of Egypt, Ambassador Prof. Korantwi-Barimah praised the special nature of Ghana-Egypt relations, recalling the historical relations between the two countries, which date back to the 1950s.

He also extended warmest felicitation from Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdel-Aati.

Ambassador Prof. Korantwi-Barimah, who is also accredited to Lebanon, Palestine and Sudan, noted that the recent engagements between President Al-Sisi and President Mahama at the AU 7th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in Malabo, together with the invitation to attend the inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum in November 2025, signal a strengthening of the cordial bilateral relations between Egypt and Ghana.  

Prof. Korantwi-Barimah reaffirmed Ghana’s desire to cooperate with Egypt to continue to leverage their influence within the African Union and as vital partners for peace, security and prosperity in Africa, building on shared history to foster a stronger continental bloc. He added that in the spirit of brotherliness, President Mahama would be honoured to welcome President Al-Sisi to Ghana for an official state visit, which would elevate the relationship to a strategic level.

Investment opportunities 

Ambassador Prof. Korantwi-Barimah mentioned the enormous trade and investment opportunities that abound in Ghana and Egypt and underscored the need to reactivate the Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation (PJCC) between the two countries to strengthen bilateral relations and explore new areas for cooperation in different fields for mutual benefit. The Ambassador lauded Egypt for its resolve to leverage Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to develop and modernise infrastructure aimed at expanding the economy, creating jobs, and improving the quality of life for its rapidly growing population, adding that “Ghana embraces Egypt’s development model and is ready to learn and share useful experiences.”

Appreciation

For his part, Ambassador Al Desouki Youssef, the Chief of Protocol and Assistant Foreign Minister for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt reciprocated the sentiments, conveying the Egyptian president’s appreciation for President Mahama’s participation in the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum and indicated that the visit, among others, is expected to strengthen the existing bilateral relations between the two countries and further deepen cooperation. Ambassador Al Youssef, recalled the fond memories of his tenure as the immediate past Ambassador of Egypt to Ghana, noting that bi-lateral relations between Ghana and Egypt have grown over the decades, and assured of plans to reactivate the process for the Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation (PJCC) between Egypt and Ghana, which will set the tone to explore new avenues for collaboration in different fields. Concerns

The Egyptian envoy, however, raised Egypt’s concern about Bank of Ghana’s 2025 directive to commercial banks to introduce 5% levy on foreign currency cash withdrawals from accounts funded by electronic transfers or cheques, which situation, according to him, negatively affects the operations of the Egyptian Embassy in Accra. He noted that Egypt may be compelled to consider a reciprocal measure to the Ghana Embassy in Cairo, if the situation remains in effect. 

Ambassador Al Desouk Youssef further advised Ghana to consider a possible relocation of its Embassy to the New Administrative Capital (NAC), noting that prices of land are currently moderate but may see upward review in the coming years. On the proposed visa waiver agreement on diplomatic and service passport holders, Ambassador Al Desouk Youssef mentioned that some level of work had been done on the subject, assuring that the proposal will be forwarded to the relevant Egyptian authorities for consideration. Regarding the issue of work permit visa, the Ambassador informed Ambassador Prof. Korantwi-Barimah that the host Foreign Ministry will liaise with the Ministry of Interior to resolve issues impeding the issuance of appropriate residence permits for Ghanaian local staff of the Mission.

Responding to the issue raised about the 5% levy on foreign currency cash withdrawals, Prof. Korantwi-Barimah assured the Chief of Protocol and Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs that the Mission will bring the matter to the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the relevant authorities in Ghana for amicable resolution. 

Ambassador Prof. Korantwi-Barimah reaffirmed Ghana’s desire to cooperate with Egypt to further deepen the already existing bilateral relations between the two countries.