Minority Accuses Government of Wasting $1.2M on Passport Relaunch
Claims biometric passport was already launched in 2024; calls relaunch redundant and costly
- $1.2M spent on passport relaunch that Minority says was already completed in 2024
- Embassy in Washington, DC shut for 3 days, causing $38K in lost fees and missed flights
- Minority demands audit and compensation for affected applicants and public accountability
The Minority in Parliament is raising red flags over what they call a wasteful $1.2 million expenditure by the government on a re-launch of Ghana’s chip-embedded biometric passport—an initiative they claim had already been finalized under the previous administration.
According to them, the relaunch was unnecessary and financially irresponsible, as the new passport system had already been successfully launched on December 2, 2024, under the Akufo-Addo government.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, July 9, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, Deputy Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, emphasized that the former administration had already secured supply credit, conducted all necessary testing, and procured 50,000 passport booklets with a standing order for 200,000 more.
“This is all documented at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Instead of focusing on improving passport services and fixing logistical bottlenecks, the government chose to spend $1.2 million on a duplicate launch,” Ayeh asserted.
Embassy Shutdown Sparks Additional Concerns
The Minority also reignited concerns over the abrupt three-day closure of Ghana’s embassy in Washington, DC, in May 2025—a move they say caused both financial and reputational damage.
According to them, the closure led to the cancellation of 437 passport appointments, caused 112 travellers to miss their connecting flights, and resulted in a loss of $38,200 in expedited service fees.
“By dawn on May 26, the embassy was shut, and the fallout was immediate. Hundreds of applicants were turned away with no prior notice,” they stated.
The caucus is now demanding a full audit report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on both the passport relaunch and the embassy closure. They are also pushing for compensation for affected applicants who were left stranded or incurred losses due to the embassy shutdown.
