Ghanaians Can Now Enter South Africa Without Visas

The Department of Home Affairs says the country’s new eVisa system will launch in November 2019, and it has added new nations to the list of countries that can enter South Africa visa-free.

According to a report tweeted via the unverified Twitter handle of Home Affairs @HomeAffairsSA on Wednesday, seven new countries can now visit South Africa visa-free.

The report quoted the South African Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, as having announced that seven new countries will be added to the list of nations that are able to come to South Africa without a visa.

“Tourism will soar if we relax visa requirements for entry into South Africa. We know that tourism is very important for job creation,” he said.

“Out of the 193 countries who are member states of the United Nations, the Department has granted visa-free status to 75 countries. Of these, 16 are in our continent and are SADC (Southern African Development Community) members and 59 are from all over the world.”

The department announced that the countries that will now be able to enter South Africa visa-free are Qatar, United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Ghana, Sao Tome and Principe.

The minister said his office will immediately enter into discussions with the countries about how a visa-free regime will work, with “homework” still needing to be done for countries like China, India and Nigeria.

“While we are busy tackling the matter of the three countries, we shall, this financial year, increase two and a half times the number of people who work for Home Affairs to process visas in both China and India.

“We shall double the number of people who process visas to our country in Nigeria,” he said.

A department spokesperson said that the countries announced by the minister only apply to inbound visas (citizens from the listed countries visiting South Africa), and that outbound visas (South Africans visiting the countries listed) need to be negotiated on a country-by-country basis.

The department noted that some countries, such as Qatar and Ghana, already have visa-free or visa on arrival agreements with South Africa.

According to the latest Henley Passport Index, South Africans can visit 99 countries around the globe visa-free.

Also speaking at the department’s budget vote, deputy minister of Home Affairs, Njabulo Nzuza said that the department is moving forward with the implementation of the country’s e-Visa regime.

“This regime will place technology at the centre of our operations by making it easy, yet secure, to enter South Africa,” he told Business Tech.

The e-visa system will allow tourists and visitors to South Africa apply for their visas online. These applications will then be sent to a central adjudication and approval office, while the prospective visitors “sit at the comfort of their own home.”

The new system will also open South Africa as a desirable destination through the ease of its visa systems, the deputy minister said, adding that it will have huge tourism growth implications for the country.

The e-visa regime is anticipated to be fully introduced in November 2019.

Ghana Government Sends Delegate To Understudy The Lagos-Ibadan Rail Project

Who says Nigeria is not the big brother in Africa despite all our flaws and mistakes, many countries still look up to us for inspiration and understudy our works.

The Ghanaian government on Friday joined the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi to inspect and tour ongoing construction works on the $1.5bn Lagos-Ibadan rail project.

Speaking after the inspection, Ghana’s Minister for Railway Development, Mr Joe Ghartey explained that he is in Nigeria to understudy the Nigerian standard gauge rail project.

According to Mr Ghartey, who led a high powered team to Nigeria, “Nigeria has done very well as regards the standard gauge rail project, and we are taking what we have seen back home as a blueprint for the development of our own rail sector.”

Also speaking after the inspection, the Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi assured Nigerians that the Lagos-Ibadan Rail project will be completed before the first week in May.

“We’ve inspected Dk 102, and the only place we are having challenges is kilometre 102, but CCECC have assured that by Monday 8th of April they must have completed the tracks.

“Also at kilometre 110 is where we are having soil challenges and that is what they are working on now. Another challenge is kilometre 116  which also has soil issue,  but the geological survey has been done and they have discovered that there is a high water level in those place.

“So I am very impressed with the work done so far. Although they didn’t meet up with my expectations, but you will agree with me that they are humans and not a machine.

” But we expect them to do track laying to kilometre 95. They have done sub-laying to kilometre 98, so what they have not done is track laying and they said when I come for inspection in one week time, they will have done the track laying up to kilometre 98 and they will start laying the beam to cross the bridge at kilometre 98,” the Honourable Minister of Transportation stated.

Photos courtesy: Legit.NG

Ex-Ghanaian President, Jerry Rawlings Seen Controlling Traffic In Accra (Photos+Video)

Looking at these images and pictures, I am forced to ask, can this happen in Nigeria? Can former Presidents like Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Abdulsalam Abubakar, Goodluck Jonathan, IBB, among others get out of their cars and control the traffic just as former president of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings?

In a video that was trending online, former Ghanaian President, Jerry John Rawlings was seen busily controlling a heavy traffic situation on the Accra-Prampram road.

The Former military ruler got out of his car to intervene on the heavy traffic situation that seems to have halted the road and brought the cars to a standstill.

Rawlings, according to reports, has noticed the indiscipline on several occasions of motorists and therefore decided to “step out and direct traffic and bring a sense of orderliness”.

He has since made a passionate appeal to joint police and military operation to be posted to the area to manage traffic and ensure discipline.

Mr. Rawlings was seen in a picture making some gestures to drivers and road users in the middle of the road. He can be heard telling one driver to move back, move back!

Watch the video below: