Second only to citizens of the United States, Nigerians constitute the largest group of tourists in Ghana, one of West Africa’s most visited countries.
Nigeria and the United States have one thing in common, and that’s their love for Ghana
- Nigerians are the second largest group of tourists in Ghana, with over 176,000 arrivals in 2025, following U.S. citizens.
- Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Tourism emphasized the strong tourism and cultural ties between Nigeria and Ghana during an executive dinner.
- The relationship between both countries is rooted in pan-Africanism, and Nigerian travel officials encouraged Africans to promote intra-continental tourism.
- Despite increased arrivals, Ghana’s international tourism receipts dropped from $4.83 billion in 2024 to $4.34 billion in 2025.
The West African gold coast, also known for its hospitality and tourist appeal, reported that Nigerians constituted 176,000 of its 1.3 million tourist arrivals in 2025.
This was made known by Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mr. Yussif Jajah, during an executive dinner hosted at Safari Valley Resort in Ghana.
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“This executive dinner is an important platform for strengthening collaboration between our government, tourism stakeholders, and travel trade partners. Nigeria, our big brothers, remains one of Ghana’s most important tourism markets,” the minister stated.
The dinner was put together in honour of the National Executive Council of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies, hosted in Ghana for a retreat and an official familiarization tour of Safari World, one of the nation’s premier leisure and tourism destinations, as seen in The Punch.
“Out of that 1.3 million, America is the first international arrival, and our big brother Nigeria is the second largest with over 176,000 international arrivals from Nigeria in the year 2025,” Mr. Yussif Jajah stated
“We appreciate that, but despite this number, we know it’s more than this number; at least, it’s an indication of over 176,000 in the year 2025 international arrivals from Nigeria to Ghana.
Thank you. We will be more than happy to also hear from our Ghanaians who always visit Nigeria, so that we can synergise. This exemplifies a strong people-to-people connection between our countries,” he added.
During the event, the Nigerian official, Dr Yinka Folami, who heads The National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), the umbrella body for travel agencies across Nigeria, noted that the relationship between both West African states was deeply rooted in pan-Africanism.
“One undeniable fact is that Ghana and Nigeria have always been on the positive side of Pan-Africanism. Every journey between Ghana and Nigeria will strengthen Pan-Africa,” Folami said.
“When I was in school, my geography teacher, a Ghanaian, would always tell us how Africa was partitioned, and that those maps are for administrative convenience.
We are one continent, and it will be a sin for any Nigerian or African not to support or market Safari World,” he added, urging Africans to promote travel spots inside the continent. It would be a sin for any Nigerian or African not to promote or support Safari World since we are one continent.
The NANTA president lauded the investment, describing Safari World as a remarkable tourist initiative that might open up new business prospects for travel industry experts.
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Mahama on Building Ghana TourPulse Ghana
According to Ghana’s 2025 Tourism Report, despite its slow development, the country has remained one of Africa’s top travel destinations.
With over 1.79 million visitors registered across 55 tourist destinations countrywide, domestic tourism also continued to be robust.
The ongoing success of the “December in GH” campaign was especially encouraging.
Arrivals rose by more than 11% in December 2025 compared to December 2024, indicating the rising appeal of Ghana’s celebratory tourist offerings and the success of diaspora-focused travel initiatives.
Another encouraging sign was the increase in licensed tourist businesses from 6,702 to 7,109.
Additionally, 18 cruise ship calls and more than 5,400 passengers arrived through the ports of Tema and Takoradi.
However, the report revealed that “international tourism receipts fell from approximately US$4.83 billion in 2024 to US$4.34 billion in 2025 despite an increase in arrivals”.
