Foreign Affairs Ministry uncovers Service Passport for Sale Scheme, cancels 10 illegally issued passports
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has uncovered an alleged illegal Service Passport issuance scheme involving a syndicate accused of issuing passports to unqualified persons in exchange for money since 2023.
The Ministry said preliminary investigations had established that 10 Service Passports were irregularly issued to individuals who did not qualify for them, following alleged illegal payments to persons operating within the system.
In a statement issued in Accra on Sunday, the Ministry said all 10 passports identified in the investigation had been cancelled and could no longer be used. It added that Ghana’s International partners had been notified of the cancellations.
The investigation followed two petitions received by the Ministry, with one petitioner alleging that he paid US$29,000 in 2023, while another claimed to have paid US$5,000 in 2026 to individuals involved in the scheme.
The Ministry said a committee was constituted on October 13, 2026, on the instructions of the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, after the first petition was received on October 8.
As part of the measures taken, the Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and a junior Foreign Service Officer, Alhassan Sumani, have been interdicted and referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution.
According to the Ministry, Mr Sumani was named in the petitions as the alleged chief architect of the scheme and was accused of operating as a middleman, commonly referred to as a “goro boy”, in 2023 before joining the Foreign Service on November 29, 2024.
The Ministry also indicated that the investigation would cover the activities of the former Director of Passports during the period under review, Ambassador Mohammed Habib Idris, who is now retired. It said he would be investigated by the security services and sanctioned if found culpable.
The beneficiaries of the allegedly irregularly issued passports are also being pursued, including two individuals who reportedly used the documents to travel in 2023.
The Ministry described the scheme as a sophisticated operation that predated the current administration, adding that the exposure of the network reflected its commitment to tackling corruption and protecting the credibility of Ghanaian travel documents.
It, however, clarified that the investigation concerned Service Passports and not Diplomatic Passports, stating that no evidence had so far emerged to suggest that Ghana’s Diplomatic Passports were being sold.
The Ministry assured Ghanaians and international partners that all persons found culpable would be brought to justice, pledging transparency, impartiality and accountability throughout the investigations.
The development comes amid broader reforms to Ghana’s passport administration system under President John Dramani Mahama, including the introduction of chip-embedded passports, 24-hour operations, free courier delivery, electronic tracking and the establishment of Passport Application Centres in all 16 regions.
The government has also reduced the passport application fee from GH¢500 to GH¢350 as part of efforts to make the document more affordable and accessible to citizens.
Joyce Adwoa Animia Ocran, ISD
