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In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on April 29, 2025, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, announced that Ghana had officially transitioned from biometric to chip-embedded passports for international travel.
He noted that this development, along with other reforms under his leadership, had effectively “reset Ghana’s passport administration” and marked a major milestone that is now “fully completed.”
“We have successfully switched to chip-embedded passports and carried out the first-ever mass rollout,” Mr Ablakwa stated.
But in an interview with Accra-based United Television (UTV) on May 7, 2025, the Member of Parliament for Bosome Freho, Nana Kwame Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, strongly disagreed with Mr Ablakwa.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP claimed it was his government that first introduced Ghana’s chip-embedded passport and not the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.
Hours after Mr Ayeh’s comments, the Minority in Parliament condemned what it described as a politically motivated re-launch of Ghana’s chip-embedded passport project by the new government.
According to the caucus, the event amounted to a wasteful and unnecessary spectacle aimed at claiming credit for a legacy initiative fully executed by the previous administration.
In a statement signed by the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee and MP for Damongo, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, the Minority expressed deep concern over what it termed a deliberate attempt by the current government to “distort the narrative” and mislead Ghanaians about the true origins of the high-tech passport programme.
“It is a needless drain on public funds—an orchestrated effort to hijack a project that was not only conceptualised but fully executed by the Akufo-Addo Government before it left office in January 2025,” the statement read.
Mr Jinapor emphasised that the digital passport project was already officially launched on December 2, 2024, with then-President Akufo-Addo and other top officials receiving their chip-embedded passports.
“This was not a vague idea left behind. It was a fully baked project—planned, financed, delivered, and launched. To repackage it as a new initiative is disingenuous and insults the intelligence of the Ghanaian public,” he said.
“At a time when we should be focused on efficiently rolling out the passport system and ensuring accessibility for all eligible Ghanaians, the government chose instead to hold a ceremonial re-launch—an empty ritual that adds no substantive progress but only drains public funds,” Jinapor asserted.
He urged the government to “cease the theatrics” and commit its efforts to resolving the logistical and distribution challenges still confronting the passport system.
Mr Ablakwa’s comments, which have been widely challenged by many, follow the nationwide rollout of the chip-embedded passport by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 28, 2025.
Social media has since been flooded with commentary about Ghana’s new international travelling passport system. While some users hail it as a legacy achievement of the former Akufo-Addo-led NPP administration, others credit the initiative to the previous John Mahama-led NDC government.
To clarify these competing claims, Fact-Check Ghana has verified the facts surrounding the implementation of the chip-embedded passport. Here’s what we found—unpacking whether it is a legacy of the NPP or the NDC administration.
In 2016, Ghana’s then Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hanna Tetteh, announced the government’s plans to transition from issuing biometric passports to more advanced chip-embedded passports. Speaking during an engagement with the Ghanaian community in Tokyo, Japan, she indicated that the upgrade was aimed at aligning Ghana’s travel documents with international standards and enhancing global accessibility for Ghanaians abroad.
She stated that the government had initiated a procurement process to develop the necessary infrastructure at Ghana’s 57 diplomatic missions and consulates, as well as the passport office in Accra and all ten regional passport application centres at the time. According to her, the new chip-embedded passport system would store more secure biometric data and significantly improve the passport issuance process, both locally and internationally.
Hanna Tetteh emphasised that holders of existing biometric passports would be required to upgrade to the chip-embedded version once available. This announcement marked the first official step toward introducing chip-embedded passports under the NDC administration.
However, months after this announcement, the NDC lost the 2016 general elections.
The NPP government continued the project upon assuming office in 2017, incorporating it into its broader digitalisation agenda. In its 2020 manifesto, the NPP explicitly pledged to introduce chip-embedded passports to enhance the security of Ghanaian travel documents. This commitment was pursued through a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) agreement with Biometric Travel Solutions Limited, a private Ghanaian company. The project’s objective was to align Ghana’s passport system with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards while boosting national security.
These efforts concluded in the official launch of the chip-embedded passport on December 2, 2024, by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The new passport features a microprocessor that securely stores the holder’s biometric data, photograph, and other unique security elements, offering enhanced protection against unauthorised access and identity fraud, according to reports.
During the launch of Ghana’s chip-embedded passport in December 2024, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, recognised that the project had been initiated eight years prior under her ministry.
“Pursuant to the provisions of paragraph one of the Passports and Travel Certificates Act 1967, NLCD 155, my ministry started the chip-embedded passport project eight years ago through a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) arrangement,” she stated.
“This ministry [Foreign Affairs] partnered with Biometric Travel Solutions Limited, a private Ghanaian firm, to undertake this project, which is aimed at bringing our passports into strict compliance with the international civil aviation organisations’ regulations.”
Describing the new document as a “state-of-the-art” passport, the Minister emphasised its role in protecting against identity theft, document tampering, and unauthorised access. She also indicated that the transition from the existing biometric passports would be phased and was expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
However, Fact-Check Ghana found no public record indicating that the full rollout or issuance of the chip-embedded passports occurred before the end of President Akufo-Addo’s administration or prior to a potential handover of power to the next government.
It was not until April 23, 2025, under the John Mahama government, that the Foreign Affairs Ministry started a campaign indicating that “Ghana’s Passport is Switching”.
On April 28, 2025, the Ministry, under the leadership of Okudzeto Ablakwa, officially commenced the nationwide rollout of the chip-embedded passport. The initiative forms part of a broader reform agenda aimed at modernising the passport acquisition process, strengthening document security, and enhancing service delivery to citizens, according to the ministry.
At the launch event, some Ghanaians received their new chip-embedded passports.
In his remarks, Mr Ablakwa described the launch as “a reset and the ushering of a new era of modernisation, convenience, and deep respect for Ghanaian citizens.” He highlighted the chip-embedded polycarbonate passport’s cutting-edge security features—both visible and latent—stating that they make forgery virtually impossible.
Key reforms introduced alongside the rollout include the complete phase-out of old biometric passports, with all new issuances now adopting chip-embedded technology; a 24/7 operational Passport Head Office to improve accessibility; nationwide courier delivery services through Ghana Post and Troskit; an electronic tracking system for real-time application monitoring; faster processing times—15 working days for regular applications and 5 days for expedited ones; and a proposed fee reduction from GHS500 to GHS350, pending parliamentary approval. The new passport also aligns with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) security standards, which member states are required to meet by 2030.
Conclusion
While the NPP government officially launched the chip-embedded passport in December 2024, records indicate that the foundation for the project was laid under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration as far back as 2016. Then Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hanna Tetteh, publicly announced plans to transition to chip-embedded passports and outlined efforts to establish the necessary infrastructure across Ghana’s diplomatic missions and regional passport centres.
The NPP administration built upon this foundation by entering into a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) agreement with Biometric Travel Solutions Limited, integrating the project into its broader digitalisation agenda. However, the actual issuance and full nationwide rollout of the chip-embedded passport only began in April 2025 under the current NDC administration.
In essence, both the NDC and NPP played pivotal but distinct roles in the process—the NDC initiated the project, the NPP launched it, and the NDC executed the full rollout.
