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 an unnecessary relaunch of Ghana’s chip-embedded biometric passport.
According to the Minority, the project had already been fully secured and launched by the previous Akufo-Addo administration in December 2024, making the current government’s expenditure wasteful and unjustifiable.
Deputy Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, stated that the outgoing government had secured supply credit, completed all testing, and formally launched the chip-embedded passport on December 2, 2024. He argued that the $1.2 million spent on the relaunch could have been channeled into improving service delivery and addressing logistical challenges at passport offices across the country.
The Minority also revisited the issue of the sudden three-day closure of Ghana’s embassy in Washington, DC, in May 2025, which they say resulted in a loss of over $38,000 in expedited service fees. The closure led to the cancellation of 437 appointments and caused at least 112 travelers to miss their connecting flights.
The caucus has demanded that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs present a full audit report to Parliament on both incidents and compensate those affected by the embassy shutdown. Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh emphasized that the government’s actions were unjustifiable and resulted in significant financial losses for the state.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com
