False! Ghana has never been part of the US visa-waiver programme

Claim: Ghana has been removed from the US visa-waiver programme

Source: Social media (X)

Verdict: False

Researched by Gifty Danso 

Social media users on Facebook and X have shared a flyer with the logo of Accra-based United Television (UTV) claiming Ghana has been removed from the 2025 United States of America visa-waiver programme.

Using the Google reverse image search function, GhanaFact found the flyer was mostly shared among accounts affiliated to the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

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Persons amplifying the claim used captions such as: “We told Ablakwa not to send his Propaganda to the Diplomatic Communities. You see the Problem now ?”  

“Sad news hit Ghana as it is removed from 2025 visa waiver Programme, a benefit Ghanaians were enjoying until John Mahama came in to destroy it,” General Buhari, a known NPP activist captioned his post on X.

While the NPP policies updates page on Facebook also shared the flyer with a caption: “Ablakwa has sent his nonsense to the international community. He thinks he knows it all. See what he has caused Ghana.”

The claim was also reported by news portals, including the Daily Guide Network, from where Modern Ghana also republished.

This fact-check will verify whether Ghana has been removed from the US visa-waiver programme. 

Fact-Check

GhanaFact’s investigation shows that UTV published the viral flyer and later deleted it from its Facebook page, below is a screenshot of the initial post by UTV on Facebook.  

Our checks also show that popular blogger, Kwadwo Sheldon’s page on Instagram also shared a similar flyer that has also been deleted.

The US Visa Waiver Program (VWP), is administered by the country’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of State. It essentially permits citizens of designated countries to travel to the US for stays up to 90 days without a visa, even though there is a need for prior approval through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). 

In return, countries under the program must permit American nationals access to their countries for a similar period without a visa.

GhanaFact analyzed a list of beneficiary countries who are under the programme and found that Ghana has never been listed.

This list includes 42 nations from Europe, Asia, and parts of the Middle East. No African country has ever been a beneficiary. The latest country to make the list is Romania.

On January 10, 2025, the US announced that Romania had been added to its list of eligible countries under the Visa Waiver Program. 

Below is a list of countries that have benefited from the programme since 1986. 

Source: US Department of Homeland Security

Additionally, the DHS indicates that only two countries, Argentina and Uruguay, have been removed from the program. 

Verdict

Therefore, publications by news portals and social media users, suggesting Ghana was removed from the 2025 Visa Waiver Programme, are false. The UTV flyer was misleading.