According to data from the Ghana Immigration Service, more Ghanaians are entering the nation and using the Ghana Card as an electronic travel document.
The Ghana Immigration Service and other stakeholders officially announced last year that Ghanaians abroad traveling back into the country could use the GGhana cardas a means of identification in place of their Ghanaian passports if they so desired. The Ghanacard is a biometric national identity card that has been officially certified by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as meeting the requirements of an international travel document.
The instruction also meant that Ghanaians with foreign passports who had previously needed visas to return to Ghana would no longer need visas after they had obtained the Ghana card. According to the Ghana Immigration Statistics, the new policy, which was put into effect less than a year ago, is being applied more often.
A total of 1,089 Ghanaians entered Ghana by aircraft using the Ghana Card, according to data from the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).
According to the statistics, from January to December 2022, 1089 people traveled to the nation aboard flights operated by 21 different airlines and 19 other nations.
KIA has a dedicated counter for processing Ghana Card holders.
The Ghana Immigration Service established a separate station at Kotoko International Airport in Accra to handle Ghanaian citizens coming home after the new policy was announced.
Arrivals by Airline in Detail
According to the statistics, 143 passengers from the Netherlands came on KLM, and 426 Ghanaians used their Ghanacard to fly on Emirates Airlines from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to KIA in 2022.
129 Ghanaians traveled from Cote D'Voire to Ghana using their Ghanacards, with Air Cote D'Voire bringing in 4 and Middle East Airlines bringing in 1.
78 Ghanaians traveled to Ghana from the United States using the Ghana Card, including 35 on Delta Airlines and 43 on United Airlines.
77 Ghanaians arrived from the UK on British Airways, and 67 Ghanaians flew on Ethiopian Airlines in 2022.
Many others arrived in Ghana from other nations as well, including Burkina Faso-17 (consisting of Air Burkina-1, Air France-16), Belgium-13, (Brussels Airlines), Togo -13, (made up of 11 by ASKY, Brussels Airlines-2), Sierra Leone- 9 (ASKY Airlines-1, Kenya Airlines-8) and Nigeria-9 (Africa World Airlines-8, Rwand Air-1) respectively. 66 Ghanacard holders arrived in Ghana from France on board Air France.
Moreover, Liberia has seven airlines (Africa World Airlines, ASKY Airlines, and Kenya Airways), Turkey has six (Turkish Airlines), South Africa has six (South Africa Airlines), Egypt has six (Egypt Air), Sao Tome and Principe has three (Tap Air Portugal), and Morocco has one (Royal Air Maroc),
In November 2021, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia said at a speech at Ashesi University that the procedures to recognize the Ghana Card as an international travel document had been finished by the ICAO, the organization that accredits tools for identifying travelers abroad.
The next step in the development of the Ghanacard as a means of international travel will enable Ghanaians to visit nations with which their country has bilateral agreements.
When such a deal is signed, Ghanaians would be able to enter these nations using their Ghanacard as proof of identity, particularly for e-visas.
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