Ghana’s Passport Re-Launch Sparks Backlash: Minority Calls it a Waste

The Minority in Parliament has called out the government for allegedly re-launching a passport project that was already completed under the leadership of former President Akufo-Addo.

In a statement released on May 7, 2025, Samuel A. Jinapor, a spokesperson for the Minority, accused the government of misrepresenting facts regarding the chip-embedded passport initiative.

According to the minority, the project, which is being presented as a new initiative, was in fact fully executed during the Akufo-Addo administration.

“The planning, procurement, and execution were all done under the Akufo-Addo Government,” the statement read.

The Minority pointed out that the initiative began as a response to a 2013 directive from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and was only fully realized when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) assumed power in 2017.

The project, which was aimed at modernizing Ghana’s passport system, saw the production of 50,000 biometric booklets by December 2024, with top government officials, including President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Bawumia, among the first to receive the new passports.

The Minority highlighted that these passports were already in circulation long before the recent launch.

While the government’s recent announcement portrays the initiative as a fresh and groundbreaking achievement, the minority described it as a “purported re-launch,” accusing the government of using it as a publicity stunt rather than focusing on effective distribution.

“Focus on proper distribution, not PR,” the Minority urged in their statement, emphasizing that the re-launch served no functional purpose and only added unnecessary costs to the public purse.

The Minority further criticized the re-launch as wasteful, noting that it created the appearance of a new initiative when, in fact, the groundwork had been laid years ago.

They argued that resources could be better spent on improving the passport distribution process and addressing the public’s needs, rather than on what they called a politically motivated PR exercise.

The government has not yet responded to these accusations, but the debate over the re-launch is likely to continue in the coming days.