No evidence Ghana’s Diplomatic Passports are being sold – Foreign Affairs Ministry clarifies

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it has found no evidence that Ghana’s Diplomatic Passports are being sold, clarifying that an ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities concerns Service Passports.

The clarification comes amid investigations into an alleged passport-for-sale scheme involving the issuance of Service Passports to individuals who did not qualify for them.

In a statement dated Sunday, November 8, 2026, the Ministry said its preliminary findings had identified 10 Service Passports allegedly issued since 2023 after illegal payments were made to a syndicate.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to state for the record that so far, no evidence has emerged that Ghana’s Diplomatic Passports are being sold,” the statement said.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the matters under investigations are about Service Passports and not Diplomatic Passports,” it added.

The Ministry disclosed that the affected Service Passports had been cancelled and that their owners, including two who successfully used the documents to travel in 2023, were being pursued.

The investigation followed two petitions received on October 8, 2026. One petitioner claimed to have paid US$29,000 in 2023, while another said he paid US$5,000 in 2026 to individuals allegedly involved in the scheme.

A committee was subsequently established on October 13 on the instructions of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

The Ministry said the Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and a junior Foreign Service Officer, Alhassan Sumani, had been interdicted and referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution.

It also said the former Director of Passports for 2023, retired Ambassador Mohammed Habib Idris, would be investigated by the security services and sanctioned if found culpable.

The Ministry placed the investigation within its broader efforts to improve passport administration, including the introduction of chip-embedded passports, the establishment of Passport Application Centres in all 16 regions, 24-hour operations and an e-Tracking system.

It also announced that the passport application fee had been reduced from GH¢500 to GH¢350.

According to the Ministry, official records show that 754 Service Passports have been issued since 2025, compared with 3,174 between 2017 and 2024 and 1,397 between 2009 and 2016.

For Diplomatic Passports, the corresponding figures were 1,944 since 2025, 5,682 between 2017 and 2024, and 2,899 between 2009 and 2016.

The Ministry said it would continue pursuing reforms to safeguard the credibility of Ghanaian travel documents and ensure accountability in their issuance.

It said, “We shall ensure that the culprits of this despicable act to undermine the credibility of our Service Passports are brought to justice. We promise full transparency, impartiality and accountability.”