Former Member of Parliament and Pan-African advocate Ras Mubarak has renewed calls for a visa-free Africa by 2030, declaring that continental unity, open borders and expanded intra-African travel are no longer distant ideals but achievable goals.

The campaign’s cross-continental advocacy journey culminated in a warm official reception at Independence Square in Accra on January 22, 2025, led on behalf of the Government of Ghana by Deputy Presidential Spokesperson, Shamima Muslim.

Describing the campaign as both demanding and transformative, Mubarak credited a small but determined team—“seven men and one fearless woman”—along with media partners across Africa for helping turn advocacy into a mass movement.

“We left Accra dreaming of One Africa. We returned with proof: borders can fall, hearts can unite, tourism can boom, and unity is within reach,” Mubarak wrote in a Facebook post dated January 22, 2026.

Media, Diplomacy and Continental Solidarity

Mubarak highlighted the crucial role played by journalists and broadcasters across the continent, singling out coverage from West, East, Southern and North Africa, including cities from Monrovia to Nairobi, Luanda to Algiers. He said the sustained media attention helped elevate the campaign beyond social advocacy into a continent-wide conversation about Africa’s future.

Special recognition was given to Francis Kokutse, whom Mubarak described as the “behind-the-scenes maestro” who coordinated media outreach across multiple African countries.

The campaign also received high-level political backing. Mubarak praised Chief of Staff Julius Debrah for offering early and consistent institutional support, as well as Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, whose ministry, he said, helped position the campaign within diplomatic circles and opened doors across the continent.

“Ghana’s leadership on this Pan-African cause is crucial,” Mubarak noted, stressing the country’s historical role in advancing African unity.

Renewed Push for Open African Borders

The #VisaFreeAfricaBy2030 campaign advocates for the removal of visa restrictions among African states, arguing that freer movement would boost trade, tourism, cultural exchange and people-to-people connections, while strengthening the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

While acknowledging the difficulties of the journey, Mubarak said the campaign is entering a new phase rather than ending.

“The road doesn’t end here—it accelerates,” he wrote, urging Africans to pressure their leaders and keep the vision alive.

The message closed with a rallying call that echoed Ghana’s Pan-African legacy:
“One Africa. One people. No visas required.”

History, long scattered by exile and time, is finding its way home.

Ghana has begun decisive steps to reclaim and preserve the final home of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in Conakry, Guinea, a powerful symbol of Pan-African resistance, unity, and unfinished dreams.

The move signals a renewed national commitment to safeguarding Ghana’s story beyond its borders and restoring a long-forgotten chapter of Africa’s liberation history.

The initiative was publicly highlighted by Abeiku Aggrey Santana, Deputy CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority, who described the effort as both a cultural homecoming and a strategic reset of Ghana’s heritage tourism narrative.

He credited former legislator Ras Mubarak for first drawing national attention to the neglected site, and praised the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts for insisting on full national responsibility for its preservation. The process, he noted, is being driven at the highest level, with strong alignment under the leadership of the Vice President, and guided by the vision of President John Dramani Mahama.

“With vision and resolve, this space will rise again as a living monument of memory, learning, and pride,” Santana wrote. “Resetting our tourism. Nkrumah lives on.”

A Home of Exile, A Citadel of Ideas

Dr. Nkrumah’s final residence in Guinea dates back to one of the most turbulent moments in Ghana’s post-independence history. In February 1966, while on a peace mission abroad, Nkrumah was overthrown in a military coup. He found refuge in Conakry at the invitation of President Ahmed Sékou Touré, who, in a remarkable gesture of solidarity, named him Honorary Co-President of Guinea.

From 1966 to 1971, Nkrumah lived in Conakry, continuing his intellectual and political work in exile. After initially staying in a government guest facility, he moved into a coastal villa widely known as Villa Syli, which was adapted to serve as both a home and a working space. There, Nkrumah wrote, strategized, and maintained correspondence with allies across Africa and the diaspora, remaining steadfast in his advocacy for African unity and the constitutional restoration of Ghana.

Though illness eventually forced his transfer to Bucharest, Romania, where he died in April 1972, the Conakry residence stands as the last African home of a man whose ideas reshaped a continent.

From Abandonment to Renewal

For decades, the villa has stood largely abandoned and deteriorating, its walls bearing silent witness to exile, resolve, and Pan-African defiance. Yet its historical value has never diminished. To Ghana and Guinea alike, the house represents more than bricks and mortar—it is a physical reminder of shared struggles against colonialism and the enduring vision of African self-determination.

Plans to reclaim and restore the property aim to transform it into a heritage and learning site, connecting Ghana’s domestic memorials—such as the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Accra—to a broader, transnational story of African liberation. Once restored, the site is expected to serve as a destination for scholars, students, Pan-Africanists, and members of the African diaspora seeking a deeper understanding of Nkrumah’s life in exile.

A Pan-African Legacy Reclaimed

The effort to preserve Nkrumah’s final home comes at a moment when Ghana continues to position itself as a global gateway to African history and identity. From the Year of Return to expanded heritage tourism initiatives, the country is increasingly asserting ownership of its narrative—both at home and abroad.

Reclaiming Nkrumah’s last residence in Guinea is not merely an act of preservation. It is a reaffirmation of values: unity over division, memory over neglect, and vision over erasure. In breathing new life into this historic space, Ghana signals that the ideas Nkrumah lived and sacrificed for remain alive—and urgently relevant.

As history circles back, one message rings clear across borders and generations: Nkrumah lives on.

The United States is currently enforcing two different visa policies at the same time, and immigration experts say the overlap is causing confusion for visa applicants across Africa and beyond.

According to U.S.-based immigration attorney Akua Poku, the policies—a 39-country visa ban and a 75-country immigrant visa processing pause—are often misunderstood, even though they affect people in very different ways.

The 39-country visa ban is the stricter of the two measures. It applies to both immigrant visas (green cards) and non-immigrant visas such as visitor, student, or work visas. Some of the affected countries face a full ban, meaning no visas are issued at all, while others face partial bans affecting only certain visa categories. If an applicant from a banned country attends a visa interview, the U.S. embassy will deny the application automatically unless the person qualifies for a special exemption or waiver.

These denials are issued under U.S. immigration law and are final, meaning the case is closed. Even if the ban is later lifted, applicants usually have to start the process again and pay new visa fees.

The 75-country immigrant visa processing pause, however, works differently. It affects only immigrant visas processed outside the United States, mainly green card applications handled at U.S. embassies. Under this policy, interviews can still go ahead, and cases are reviewed, but visas are not issued while the pause is in place. Instead of a final denial, the embassy temporarily refuses the visa and keeps the case open under administrative processing. When the U.S. government lifts the pause, the same application is usually continued without the applicant having to reapply or pay new fees, although updated documents may be required.

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Immigration lawyers stress that understanding the difference is critical. While the visa ban can permanently shut down an application, the processing pause is a delay rather than an end.

For applicants in Ghana and other affected countries, knowing which policy applies can help avoid costly mistakes and unnecessary disappointment. As experts advise, those unsure about their situation should seek proper legal guidance before making decisions about interviews or travel plans.