February 14, (THEWILL) – In a major development, Nigerian athletes and officials will no longer be required to fill out landing cards upon their arrival in Ghana for the 2023 All Africa Games.
This change in decision will also apply to athletes and officials from other African countries. The announcement was made by Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President of Ghana at the Kotoko International Airport (KIA) in Accra, where the games are set to be held. The move is expected to improve the competitiveness of KIA and make it easier for passengers to travel to Ghana.
Bawumia posted the news on Facebook after a meeting with key stakeholders, including the Minister for Public Enterprises, Minister for Transport, Ghana Airports Company Limited, Ghana Immigration Service, National Security, and Ministry of Interior. The decision was made to stop requiring airline passengers to fill out landing cards from March 31, 2023.
The African Games will be hosted by Ghana for the first time and this announcement is expected to boost its appeal to athletes and officials from all over the continent. Nigeria has been a regular participant in the African Games since its inception in 1965. At the 2019 Games held in Rabat, Morocco, Team Nigeria was represented by 308 athletes and finished second on the overall medals table. They won a total of 127 medals, including 46 gold, 33 silver, and 48 bronze.
The removal of the landing card requirement is expected to make the journey to Ghana smoother for the Nigerian contingent and other African athletes and officials, and is likely to be warmly welcomed.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
