Relationship dossier
Ghana
South Africa
Relationship assessment
Bilateral cooperation through a Bi-National Commission, alongside recurring concerns over treatment of Ghanaian nationals
Ghana toward South Africa
+35Ghana has engaged South Africa through the Ghana–South Africa Bi-National Commission, a framework for bilateral political and economic cooperation. Ghana has also raised concerns over the treatment of its nationals in South Africa.
South Africa toward Ghana
+35South Africa has engaged Ghana through the Ghana–South Africa Bi-National Commission, supporting bilateral political and economic cooperation. Disputes over the treatment of Ghanaian nationals have been a source of friction.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship has a durable cooperative framework in the Bi-National Commission and recurring bilateral engagement, but concerns about the treatment of Ghanaian nationals in South Africa have added friction. The available breadth of specific policy and implementation details supports a moderate rather than close-partnership characterization.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Ghana and South Africa maintain a cooperative relationship supported by regular diplomatic engagement and bilateral economic and political cooperation. Ghana has engaged South Africa through the Ghana–South Africa Bi-National Commission, while South Africa has pursued the same framework for bilateral cooperation. Relations have also faced friction, including disputes involving the treatment of Ghanaian nationals in South Africa.
Areas of tension
- Concerns over the treatment of Ghanaian nationals in South Africa
Key developments
Ghana and South Africa established a Bi-National Commission to provide a framework for bilateral political and economic cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and implementation of cooperation under the Bi-National Commission are unclear.
- The extent to which reported concerns about Ghanaian nationals have affected bilateral government policy is uncertain.