Traders Can Travel Across ECOWAS Without Visas For 90 Days-Foreign Affairs Ministr

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reminded Ghanaian traders that they can travel to other member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and stay for up to 90 days without a visa, provided they possess valid travel documents.

Chief Director of the Ministry, Ambassador Khadija Iddrisu, said this during the ECOWAS National Sensitisation Campaign at the Makola Market in Accra on Friday.

She urged traders to familiarise themselves with the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons to enable them to exercise their rights and conduct business across the sub-region with greater confidence.

“Secondly, we have the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons that permits you to travel with valid travel documents to any ECOWAS member state and stay up to 90 days without a visa,” she said.

Ambassador Iddrisu advised traders to carry valid passports or Ghana Cards when travelling within the sub-region to facilitate their movement and avoid unnecessary difficulties.

“Carry along your valid passport or Ghana Card to ensure that you move freely without any hindrance,” she said.

Ambassador Iddrisu said the choice of Makola Market as a venue was intended to reach traders directly at their workplaces, given their important role in cross-border commerce.

She observed that many traders at the market already conducted business with suppliers and customers in cities such as Lomé, Cotonou, Lagos and Abidjan, making knowledge of ECOWAS policies essential to their operations.

“Our mission here today is to equip you with knowledge of your rights and responsibilities, as well as understanding how to apply them in your trading activities,” she said.

The Chief Director acknowledged that traders continued to encounter difficulties during cross-border business trips, including delays at border posts, demands for unfamiliar documents and requests for payments they believed should not be made.

She said the sensitisation campaign was intended to help address such challenges by educating traders on the relevant ECOWAS protocols and providing opportunities for them to seek clarification from officials.

“Too often, we hear of goods being held up at borders for days, with demand for documents traders are not even aware of, and for payments that shouldn’t be made,” she said.

Ambassador Iddrisu also encouraged traders and manufacturers to take advantage of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS), which allows eligible goods originating from member states to cross borders without import duties, subject to the scheme’s requirements.

She explained that manufacturers seeking to benefit from the arrangement needed to ensure their products were properly registered and obtain the relevant ECOWAS Certificate of Origin where required.

The campaign also addressed the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme, which provides a mechanism for compensating victims of road accidents involving non-resident motorists travelling within participating member states.

She urged traders who travelled in their own vehicles to other ECOWAS countries to consider enrolling in the scheme.

Ambassador Iddrisu said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the ECOWAS National Office, would continue engaging stakeholders and follow up on concerns raised during the campaign.

She announced that the sensitisation exercise would next be extended to Madina Market and the Elubo border to reach more traders and communities involved in cross-border activities.

The Chief Director encouraged traders to contact the ECOWAS National Office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with questions, suggestions and concerns requiring intervention.

The campaign, organised by the Ministry through the ECOWAS National Office in collaboration with relevant ministries, departments and agencies, seeks to bring information about regional integration closer to citizens, particularly traders, transport operators and entrepreneurs.

Margaret Adjeley Sowah, ISD