The Minority in Parliament has claimed that the erstwhile Akufo-Addo administration begun the mass roll out of chip-embedded passports.
In a statement signed by the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel A. Jinapor dated May 7, the Caucus clarified the chip-embedded passport was an initiative started by the previous NPP government and was executed after years of strategic planning, procurement, and execution.
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He claimed that this is not an initiative by the current government, as recent narratives suggest.
Jinapor further outlined the timeline and policy actions that led to the development and successful launch of the chip-embedded biometric passport programme, describing recent attempts to re-launch the initiative as “unnecessary” and a misrepresentation of the facts.
“Every essential aspect of the chip-embedded passport programme, from policy formulation to contract execution and logistical delivery, was meticulously completed by the Akufo-Addo Government before it was handed over on 7th January 2025,” he emphasised.
“It is therefore, through the hard work and dedication of the Akufo-Addo Government which oversaw the planning, procurement and execution of the Project that has led to Ghana issuing electronic chip-embedded passports.
“Every essential aspect of the chip-embedded passport programme, from policy formulation to contract execution and logistical delivery, was meticulously completed by the Akufo-Addo government before it handed over on January 7, 2025,” he noted.
According to Jinapor, the project stemmed from the 2013 ICAO TRIP Strategy, which encouraged the adoption of electronic travel documents. While early discussions began under previous governments, it was the Akufo-Addo administration, he said, that decisively moved the project forward in 2017 as part of its digitalisation agenda.
He detailed the competitive selection process that led to the engagement of 25th Century Technology Limited and Buck Press Limited, who together formed Biometric Travel Solutions Limited to execute the project under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
He claimed that by December 2, 2024, the chip-embedded passports had been officially launched by then-President Akufo-Addo, and high-ranking officials were issued the first batch. At the time, 50,000 booklets were already in stock, with 200,000 more ordered—positioning the project for a seamless nationwide rollout.
He criticised what he described as a “purported re-launch” by the current administration, calling it “an unnecessary burden on the public purse” and a disservice to institutional integrity.
The Minority Caucus on the Foreign Affairs Committee, he said, remains committed to defending the national interest and ensuring that records are set straight.
