Ghana’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, Mr. Francis Danti Kotia, has observed that visa denials and other associated challenges faced by Ghanaian businessmen and women when applying for visas at the Netherlands embassy in Accra are primarily responsible for the slow trade rate between Ghana and the Netherlands.
Ambassador Kotia made this announcement in an interview on the sidelines of the 2025 Netherlands-Ghana Business and Tourism Expo, held at The Hague University of Applied Sciences from September 18 to 20, 2025. The theme for this year’s Expo is “Partnership for Growth: Trade, Innovation and Sustainability.”
According to Ambassador Kotia, it takes approximately 45 days for the Netherlands Embassy in Accra to process a visa application of a Ghanaian who holds an ordinary passport and five days for a diplomatic passport holder.
On the contrary, he noted that it takes approximately three days for the Ghanaian Embassy in the Netherlands to process visa applications from all Dutch citizens who express interest in visiting Ghana for business or tourism purposes.
“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.
“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 who wish to travel to the Netherlands to explore business opportunities and the Dutch market. 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, Ambassador Kotia said.
He indicated that 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.
Ambassador Kotia added that there is a lot of discussion ongoing at various levels in Ghana and on the African continental level to address what he considered to be unfair treatment of African businesspeople who wish to conduct business in the Netherlands.
Other participants at the Expo, during a panel discussion on the topic: “Doing Business in Ghana; Insights and Incentives,” also pointed out that their own experiences confirm the fact that visa acquisition challenges have largely frustrated their business development plans over the years, and there is an urgent need to address them.
Contributions to the panel discussion came from individuals such as Kojo Frimpong, a Ghanaian politician and businessman; Mr. Oscar Kwame Sottie, from Wageningen University and MKB; Mr. Willian Manful, Ghana Embassy in the Netherlands; and Mr. Mattijs Renden, Head of Business Development, NABC.
