The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revoked 10 Service Passports allegedly issued to individuals who did not meet the eligibility requirements, following investigations into claims of corruption within the passport administration system. Two ministry officials have also been interdicted and handed over to the police for possible prosecution.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Ministry identified the officials as Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and junior Foreign Service Officer Alhassan Sumani. The development follows an announcement by Majority Leader James Agalga in Parliament on Friday that the Passport Director had been asked to step aside to allow investigations into the alleged misconduct to proceed without interference.
Investigation triggered by two petitions
The Ministry said its investigations were initiated after it received two petitions, the first on Thursday, October 8, 2026, alleging that an organised network within the passport administration system was facilitating the sale of Service Passports to unqualified individuals. According to the statement, the petitioner in the 2023 case alleged that US$29,000 had been paid to members of the suspected network, while a second petitioner in 2026 reported paying US$5,000 to secure a Service Passport.
Following the complaints, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa established an investigative committee on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, to examine the allegations. The Ministry named Alhassan Sumani, a Foreign Service Officer Grade A5, as the individual allegedly identified across all the petitions as the mastermind behind the scheme.
He is suspected of operating as an intermediary, commonly referred to as a “goro boy”, in 2023 before joining the Foreign Service on Friday, November 29, 2024. Akwatia MP Bernard Bediako Baidoo had earlier disclosed the interdiction of a Foreign Affairs employee recruited in November 2024 during a television discussion on Wednesday.
The Ministry also indicated that retired Ambassador Mohammed Habib Idris, who served as Director of Passports during the period under investigation in 2023, would be subjected to further investigations by the security agencies and sanctioned if found culpable.
Ten passports revoked
Preliminary findings by the investigative committee established that 10 individuals who did not satisfy the statutory requirements were issued Service Passports between January 2023 and August 2026 after allegedly making payments to the suspected syndicate. The Ministry published the names of the 10 beneficiaries alongside their passport serial numbers. Its records indicate that four passports were issued in January and February 2023, two on May 28, 2026, and the remaining four on August 11, 2026.
All 10 documents have since been revoked, with Ghana’s international partners formally notified that the passports are no longer valid. The Ministry added that security agencies were pursuing the individuals involved, including two passport holders who reportedly used the documents to travel outside the country in 2023.
Ministry dismisses claims of Diplomatic Passport sales
Responding to concerns raised in Parliament by Damongo MP Samuel Abu Jinapor on Tuesday, November 3, the Ministry said investigations had uncovered no evidence to suggest that Ghana’s Diplomatic Passports were being sold. It stressed that the ongoing probe concerns the alleged illegal issuance of Service Passports and does not involve Diplomatic Passports.
Official figures released by the Passport Office indicate that 1,397 Service Passports and 2,899 Diplomatic Passports were issued between 2009 and 2016. Between 2017 and 2024, the figures increased to 3,174 Service Passports and 5,682 Diplomatic Passports. From 2025 to date, a further 754 Service Passports and 1,944 Diplomatic Passports have been issued.
The Ministry also recalled a separate compliance exercise conducted in May 2025, during which 701 Diplomatic and Service Passports held by former public officials were cancelled after the individuals failed to return the documents upon leaving office.
Passport reforms remain on course
The Ministry noted that passport issuance in Ghana is regulated by the Passports and Travel Certificates Decree, 1967 (NLCD 155), as amended by the Passports and Travel Certificates (Amendment) Law, 1993 (PNDCL 310). It assured the public that the ongoing investigations would not affect recent reforms introduced to improve passport services.
These include the introduction of chip-embedded passports, the establishment of regional passport application centres across all 16 regions and a reduction in the standard passport application fee from GH¢500 to GH¢350.
