Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, Deputy Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee addressing the media

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Minority accuses gov't of spending $1.2 million to 'relaunch and rebrand' chip-embedded passport

Beatrice Laryea Politics Jul - 09 - 2025 , 15:34 2 minutes read

The Minority in Parliament has accused the government of causing financial loss to the state by spending $1.2 million on what they described as a mere relaunch of the chip-embedded passport initiative.

According to the Minority Caucus, the project had already been conceived, contracted, and financed under the previous Akufo-Addo administration, making the recent launch unnecessary.

At a press conference in Accra, they claimed the former government secured a supplier credit, completed all necessary testing, and formally launched the initiative on December 2, 2024. This included the procurement of 50,000 passport booklets and a standing order for an additional 200,000.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, July 9, at Parliament House in Accra, the Deputy Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, criticized the move to relaunch the chip embedded passport and said it was "wasteful".

“The chip-embedded passport programme was fully developed and funded under the previous Akufo-Addo-led administration, following Cabinet approval in August 2024,” he said.

“When the new minister staged a costly relaunch on April 28, 2025—an event that alone cost the taxpayer $1.2 million—there was no corresponding increase in printing capacity or paper supply. Within just eight weeks, the Passport Office had a backlog of 32,467 unprinted applications. Sixty-eight percent of applicants had waited over eight weeks, despite paying for a 15-day express service."

He added, “The relaunch solved nothing. It was merely a rebranded version of work already completed and diverted scarce resources away from much-needed service delivery.”

Background

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa launched the chip-embedded passport programme on Monday, April 28, 2025, citing it as a major step toward modernizing passport acquisition and improving national security.

The new passports feature a chip containing the holder’s biometric data and boast 175 security features, a significant upgrade from the previous version’s 32.

The launch also introduced 24-hour passport office operations and a new partnership with Ghana Post for nationwide passport delivery.