Ablakwa Breaks Silence on Alleged US$34,000 Illegal Passport Scheme, Reveals Officials Interdicted

Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has released a statement on passport administration in the country. He posted it on his official Facebook page on Sunday, November 8, 2026.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the statement was meant to assure Ghanaians and international partners that the passport system remains secure and credible. It noted that passport administration is governed by the Passports and Travel Certificates Decree, 1967 (NLCD 155), as amended by PNDCL 310 of 1993.

The Ministry highlighted several reforms under President John Dramani Mahama. These include chip-embedded passports, application centres in all 16 regions, 24-hour operations, free courier delivery and e-tracking. The application fee has also been reduced from GHS500 to GHS350.

The statement then addressed an alleged illegal Service Passport scheme that reportedly operated since 2023. The Ministry said it received two petitions about the scheme. One petitioner claimed to have paid US$29,000, while the other said he paid US$5,000.

A committee was set up on October 13, 2026, after the first petition arrived on October 8. The Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, has been interdicted. So has a junior Foreign Service Officer, Alhassan Sumani, who was named in all the petitions as the chief architect. Both have been referred to the Ghana Police Service for possible prosecution.

Preliminary findings showed that ten people who did not qualify received Service Passports after allegedly paying a syndicate. The Ministry said all the passports have been cancelled and international partners notified. It also said that Ambassador Mohammed Habib Idris, the 2023 Director of Passports, who is now retired, will be investigated.

The Ministry stressed that no evidence shows Diplomatic Passports are being sold. It said the investigation concerns only Service Passports.

The statement concluded with a pledge of transparency, accountability and continued reforms to protect the credibility of all Ghanaian passports.

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