Ghana and Russia have signed a visa waiver agreement that will allow holders of diplomatic and service passports from both countries to travel between the two countries without obtaining visas.

The agreement was signed in Moscow during a three-day official visit by Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, at the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.

According to Mr Ablakwa, the agreement represents the first visa waiver arrangement between Ghana and Russia since the two countries established formal diplomatic relations in 1958.

“On my first day of this important official visit, we signed a historic Visa Waiver Agreement for holders of Diplomatic and Service Passports,” Mr Ablakwa said in a social media post on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.

The arrangement applies specifically to diplomatic and service passport holders and does not cover ordinary passport holders.

Mr Ablakwa said Ghana and Russia would continue discussions on expanding visa privileges to other categories of travellers as part of efforts to deepen economic and people-to-people ties.

“We shall continue with negotiations for enhanced privileges for all categories of travellers as we bolster trade, investments and people-to-people exchanges,” he said.

The Minister said the visa waiver agreement was only one component of the broader discussions taking place during his Moscow visit.

“This official visit will map out broader areas of strategic cooperation between Ghana and Russia,” he said.

Ghana-Russia relations

Relations between Ghana and Russia date back to the early years of Ghana’s independence, when the country under its first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, established close ties with the Soviet Union.

Dr Nkrumah pursued diplomatic and economic relations with countries outside the traditional Western bloc as part of his industrialisation and Pan-African agenda.

Education has also remained a key area of cooperation, with thousands of Ghanaians studying at universities in the former Soviet Union and present-day Russia over the years.

Many of the beneficiaries subsequently returned to Ghana to contribute to sectors including engineering, medicine, science and technology.

Mr Ablakwa’s visit comes ahead of the Third Russia-Africa Summit, scheduled to take place in Moscow on October 28 and 29, 2026.

President John Dramani Mahama has been invited to attend the summit.

Mr Ablakwa said President Mahama was also expected to seek bilateral discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the summit to explore additional areas of cooperation between Ghana and Russia.