Ghana and Morocco to scrap visa requirements
Ghana and Morocco have agreed to take steps towards eliminating visa requirements for all travellers between the two nations, among other measures aiming at strengthening ties, reports Africanews on March 24th.
After his meeting with Morocco’s ambassador to Ghana Imane Oiaadil, Ghana’s Foreign Affairs minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakawa announced that the proposition will be submitted to both countries’ Parliaments in coming weeks.
The two countries also agreed to expand their cooperation in agribusiness, tourism and security.
Additionally, Morocco doubled its annual scholarships for Ghanaian students, increasing the number from 90 to 180.
The announcement was followed by a post on X (formerly twitter), in which the Foreign Minister of Ghana addressed a recent false story circulating on social media claiming that 700 Africans had been killed in Morocco recently.
As the official explained in his post, the viral video purporting to show the killings was from a June 2022 border incident at the Melilla border that caused 23 deaths according to official figures.
Yet, NGOs like InfoMigrants have denounced the brutality of Moroccan authorities which can be seen in the footage beating migrants on the ground, as more inert bodies lay behind them. Following the violent incident, 87 migrants were condemned to up to four years in jail.
In his post, Ablakawa assured that no Ghanaian national was killed during the “tragic, unfortunate and condemnable loss of 23 lives”.
The strengthening of diplomatic ties between the two nations comes as Ghana has recently decided to suspend their diplomatic relations with the Polisario Front, and to express their support for Morocco’s “good faith efforts” in pursuing diplomatic efforts to solve the issue.
Ghana, which also happens to be the second richest country in the ECOWAS, is today Morocco’s main trading partner within the union, with significant commercial exchanges between the two countries.
Morocco is also one of the main investors in Ghana with many Moroccan companies operating from Ghana, including BMCE Bank, CIMAF (cement manufacturer), Addoha (real estate group), and OCP (fertilizer giant).
AfricaNews, InfoMigrants
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