On April 23, 2025, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, announced five major reforms to Ghana’s passport service. The reforms dubbed ‘Reset Passport Reforms,’ were set to be rolled out starting April 28, 2025.
Speaking during a press briefing, Ablakwa said: “These are the five reforms:
- We are switching from biometric to chip-embedded passports.
- We are introducing 24-hour passport operations in line with President Mahama’s 24-hour economic policy
- We are introducing passport delivery services through courier to enhance convenience
- We are introducing e-tracking services for citizens to effectively monitor the entire passport application and delivery process, and
- We are reducing passport application fees by 30%, that is from 500 Ghana cedis to 350 Ghana cedis by amending the Fees and Charges Act as soon as Parliament resumes from recess.”
Among these reforms, the switch from biometric to chip-embedded passports has generated significant public debate, with some individuals criticizing the move as a mere continuation of an initiative started under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration in 2024.
Others also argue that the original idea of biometric to chip-embedded passports was mooted under a National Democratic Congress (NDC) government back in 2016.
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With the online debate largely centered on which administration originally introduced the idea, GhanaFact traces the contribution of successive governments in Ghana’s journey towards the issuance of chip-embedded passports.
- 2016 – First mention of chip-embedded passports under the John Mahama administration
Multiple media outlets reported in May 2016, that the then-Foreign Affairs Minister, Hannah Tetteh, announced plans to upgrade Ghana’s biometric passports to chip-embedded passports. (Citifmonline, GhanaWeb, Graphic Online)
According to the reports, she was speaking at a meeting with Ghanaians in Tokyo where she was quoted to have said: “What we are going to do is not to give you a biometric passport but rather to upgrade the system to begin to issue from next year, the chip-embedded passport. We are therefore going through a procurement process to build up the infrastructure across all our embassies.
“That is our 57 missions and consulates, the passport office in Accra, and ten regional passport application centres so that across all the embassies of Ghana, you will now be able to apply for what will be the chip-embedded passport, which is an upgrade on the biometric passport,” she added.
However, seven months later the NDC lost the December 2016 election and that was the last that was heard of the plan to issue chip-embedded passports.
- NPP manifesto promise in 2020
In August 2020, the NPP government included the passport transition in its 2020 manifesto. Under the Foreign Affairs section of the document, the party promised to: “introduce chip-embedded passports to keep up with technological advancement and enhance the security of Ghanaian passports.”
- Launch of chip-embedded passports in 2024
On December 2, 2024, under the NPP government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, led by Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, officially launched the chip-embedded passport at the Accra International Conference Center (AICC).
During the launch, Ayorkor Botchwey mentioned that this project was introduced 8 years ago.
“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. This ministry 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 organizations’ regulations.
“I am confident that the introduction of this state-of-the-art chip-embedded passport positions us against identity theft, document tampering, and unauthorized access. The migration from the current biometric passports onto this new chip-embedded passport would be undertaken progressively and is expected to be fully operational before the end of the year, so sometime this month, the chip-embedded passports will be available to all Ghanaians,” she said.
Even though she announced that the rollout of the new passports was going to start before the end of 2024, the NPP lost the December 7, 2024 elections, and there is no public record confirming the full rollout or issuance of the new passports before the change in government.
- Under the current administration
It is on the back of all the above developments that the current NDC government under the leadership of the Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on April 23, 2025, announced the formal switch from biometric to chip-embedded passports, with the issuance officially beginning on April 28, 2025.
Conclusion
The concept of upgrading to chip-embedded passports was first announced in 2016 by the NDC government, however it was never implemented.
The official launch occurred in 2024 under the NPP government, but issuance had not commenced before the administration left office.
In 2025, the current NDC government formally announced the rollout and issuance, beginning April 28.
Thus, while both the NDC and NPP have played roles in introducing and launching the chip-embedded passport, the official issuance and full rollout is happening under the current NDC administration.
By Nusrat Essah
