Ghana’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, Mr. Francis Danti Kotia, has expressed concern that visa denials and long processing times faced by Ghanaian businesspeople seeking to travel to the Netherlands are undermining trade relations between the two countries.
Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the 2025 Netherlands-Ghana Business and Tourism Expo, held from September 18 to 20 at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Ambassador Kotia said visa acquisition challenges remain a major bottleneck despite the long-standing partnership between Ghana and the Netherlands.
The three-day event was themed “Partnership for Growth: Trade, Innovation and Sustainability.”
Unequal processing times
According to the Ambassador, while visa applications at the Netherlands Embassy in Accra take up to 45 days to process for Ghanaians holding ordinary passports, Dutch citizens applying for visas to Ghana wait only about three days.
Holders of Ghanaian diplomatic passports, he added, receive visas to the Netherlands in about five days.
“Ghana–Netherlands relations are generally essential and significant to both countries. Over the years, both sides have worked hard to strengthen these relations in all aspects of the relationship, including political, cultural, economic, trade, and investment,” Ambassador Kotia stated.
He, however, stressed that these positive developments risk being undermined by visa difficulties faced by Ghanaian entrepreneurs who wish to explore opportunities in the Netherlands.
“There is no relationship without challenges. One of the significant challenges from Ghana’s perspective in trade and investment promotion activities is the acquisition of visas for our entrepreneurs. We have many instances where people follow through with all the requirements, they submit early enough, and yet, at the end of the day, they are denied visas,” he said.
Call for reciprocity
Ambassador Kotia emphasised that Ghana expects the same level of commitment it extends to Dutch applicants to be reciprocated.
“From now on, Ghana expects the kind of dedication and commitment it shows towards Dutch visa applicants at the Ghana Embassy in the Netherlands to be reciprocated, to promote trade development between the two countries,” he remarked.
He further revealed that ongoing discussions at both national and continental levels are examining how to address what many African businesspeople consider unfair treatment in visa processes when dealing with European countries.
Businesses frustrated
The frustrations echoed during a panel discussion at the Expo on the topic “Doing Business in Ghana; Insights and Incentives.” Participants shared their own experiences of how visa acquisition hurdles had hindered business expansion and investment.
Contributors included Ghanaian politician and businessman Kojo Frimpong; Mr. Oscar Kwame Sottie from Wageningen University and MKB; Mr. Willian Manful from the Ghana Embassy in the Netherlands; and Mr. Mattijs Renden, Head of Business Development at the Netherlands-African Business Council (NABC).
The panellists agreed that while opportunities in Ghana remain attractive, smoother travel arrangements are necessary to facilitate the flow of trade, expertise, and investment.
Strengthening ties amid challenges
Despite the concerns, Ambassador Kotia reaffirmed the importance of the Ghana-Netherlands partnership, which has spanned more than 300 years.
He stressed that both nations share values of cooperation and mutual growth and that addressing challenges such as visa barriers would unlock greater potential in trade, innovation, and sustainable development.
The Netherlands-Ghana Business and Tourism Expo, which attracted policymakers, business leaders, and academics, was aimed at exploring new areas of collaboration in agribusiness, tourism, digitalisation, and sustainability.
