The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has welcomed the request by the Slovakian Ambassador-designate to Ghana, Martin Podstavek, for a visa waiver agreement.
"This is a great time for us to advance our relations," Mr Ablakwa said, welcoming Slovakia’s willingness to conclude a visa waiver agreement with Ghana. He made the remarks yesterday, Monday, November 9, 2026, when he received the Open Letters of the Slovakian Ambassador-designate to Ghana at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He said Ghana had been working "very aggressively" on visa waivers, stressing that Ghana already has visa waiver agreements with virtually all of Slovakia’s neighbours for holders of diplomatic and service passports, including Serbia, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria and others. "Some of these visa waiver agreements are even more than 30, 40 years old. So, we should do that. We are ready to sign with you," he said. Mr Ablakwa said concluding such an agreement would show "a certain commitment and seriousness" on both sides.
Significance
For Ghana, a visa waiver with Slovakia will be strategically significant diplomatically.
Similar agreements have been signed with Serbia, the Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria, which allow government officials, diplomats, military and security personnel and official delegations to travel without visas. This waiver agreement reinforces the acceptance of Ghana’s passport across the world, including the EU and Schengen area. It, however, would not automatically allow ordinary Ghanaian passport holders to travel visa-free to Slovakia or the Schengen area.
With Slovakia as a Schengen and EU member, the agreement comes with real strategic value. Although limited, the agreement will give Ghana another EU and Schengen partner on record and strengthen Ghana's credibility when negotiating similar deals with bigger EU states. Strategically, Slovakia alone will not transform Ghana's travel or trade, but as part of Ghana's wider push for visa waivers across Central and Eastern Europe, plus defence and industrial cooperation, it is a useful building block, especially for official travel, defence procurement and opening the door to EU industrial partnerships.
Defence cooperation
On defence, the Minister said Ghana would also be happy to sign a defence cooperation agreement with Slovakia. He disclosed that the President wants to establish, for the first time, an electronic warfare centre to be located in Tamale in the Northern Region of Ghana.
Mr Ablakwa said Ghana was aware of Slovakia’s capacity in manufacturing, as well as in servicing and maintaining military hardware, and would like to work with Slovakia in that area.
Non-aligned foreign policy
Mr Ablakwa said Ghana admires Slovakia’s foreign policy, describing it as very similar to Ghana’s. "We are non-aligned. Everybody is our friend. We don't like to make enemies. And we believe that that is how the world must be. There's so much we can achieve when we come together, when we are united," he added.
