Minority blasts government of costly chip-passport relaunch

The Minority in Parliament has raised serious concerns over the government’s recent relaunch of the chip-embedded passport system, describing it as wasteful and redundant.

According to the Caucus, the project had already been initiated, tested and launched by the previous Akufo-Addo administration in December 2024, with supplier credit secured and over 50,000 booklets procured, plus a standing order for 200,000 more.

The Minority argues that the new launch, held on April 28 this year, came at an unnecessary cost of $1.2 million to the taxpayer.

Deputy Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, believes the money could have been channelled into fixing persistent service delays.

“Over 32,000 passport applications remain unprinted, with 68% of applicants waiting more than 8 weeks despite paying for express services. The relaunch solved nothing. It simply rebranded a system that was already in motion and sidelined service delivery.”

Despite the controversy, the Foreign Affairs Ministry says the relaunch marked a shift towards modernising travel documentation in Ghana.

The updated passports carry biometric chips and 175 security features, along with new services such as 24-hour operations and delivery support via Ghana Post.

Still, critics are questioning whether the relaunch offered meaningful improvements or just costly optics.