A major idea by former Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to use the Ghana Card as requirement for the acquisition of Ghanaian passports, has been embraced by Minister of Foreign Affairs-designate, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
Dr. Bawumia argued strongly that with Ghana’s robust national identity system, which captures every information required for passport application, there was no need for Ghanaians to go through the stress of another biometric and passport application process.
Hence, he made it a major campaign promise under his presidency, that if he was elected president, holders of the Ghana Card would not have to go through strenuous processes again for passports, as the Ghana Card would be enough basis for Ghanaians to comfortably sit at home and apply for new passports.
Appearing before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Friday, January 31, 2025, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa embraced Bawumia’s idea, which was also enshrined in the 2024 NPP manifesto.
“We will like to use technology to reform our passport regime. I don’t think that we should still be requiring Ghanaians who have Ghana Card to go to passport office for their biometrics.
“If you have a Ghana Card, we should be able to interface. It should be possible to sit at home and apply for your passport,” Okudzeto Ablakwa said.
Okudzeto Ablakwa’s somewhat borrowing of Dr. Bawumia’s idea has attracted reactions from a number of Ghanaians on social media, with many hailing the vision of the former vice president.
