$1.2m Passport Relaunch ‘Wasteful’ – Minority

The Minority in Parliament has accused the government of causing financial loss to the state by spending $1.2 million on the 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, the Deputy Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, criticized the move, saying it was “wasteful” and “solved nothing.” He added that the relaunch “diverted scarce resources away from much-needed service delivery.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, launched the chip-embedded passport programme on 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.

The Minority expressed concerns that despite the relaunch, the Passport Office had a backlog of 32,467 unprinted applications, with 68% of applicants waiting over eight weeks for their passports. Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh stated, “The chip-embedded passport programme was fully developed and funded under the previous Akufo-Addo-led administration, following Cabinet approval in August 2024.”

He further noted that the relaunch was “merely a rebranded version of work already completed” and that it did not address the existing challenges in passport acquisition.

The Minority’s criticism highlights the ongoing debate over the government’s handling of the passport initiative and its impact on citizens.