By Hannah Dadzie
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has apprehended 375 individuals suspected of being non-Ghanaians attempting to secure Ghanaian passports. Addressing the media, the sector Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, revealed that over the past ten months, 379 Ghana Cards linked to these individuals have been confiscated, highlighting a coordinated effort by external actors to breach national security protocols.
The Minister said enhanced verification measures have been introduced to safeguard the integrity of the Ghanaian passport, particularly following increased attempts by foreigners to obtain the document after the lifting of U.S. visa restrictions on Ghana.
“We have outlined a number of enhanced security measures and are rolling out a no-nonsense approach. Any foreigner attempting to acquire our passports will be promptly apprehended and prosecuted. It is concerning that, despite clear vetting by our officers, some non-Ghanaians managed to obtain passports with Ghanaian names that do not belong to them,” he said.
Mr. Ablakwa added that the Ministry confiscated 379 Ghana Cards from suspected foreigners over the past ten months. He explained that while applicants are required to have a Ghana Card and vetting certificate, an additional layer of Ministry verification, including interviews conducted by trained officers, ensures only genuine Ghanaians are issued passports.
The Foreign Affairs Minister also disclosed that an internal audit identified suspicious activity, with certain mobile numbers being used to submit multiple passport applications. As a result, a new policy now limits any single phone number to five applications.
“We observed cases where a single number applied for 174 passports. Others submitted 170, 160, and 123 applications. This is clearly suspicious. All these numbers and their owners have been referred to National Security for further investigation, and the numbers have been blocked from the system,” Mr. Ablakwa noted.
Under the new guidelines, exceptions beyond five applications require a special petition to the Minister, which will only be considered for compelling reasons.
The Minister added that all passport application centres are now integrated using modern technology and AI. This allows real-time identification of suspected foreigners attempting to bypass the system across regions.
Mr. Ablakwa said attempts to move from one region to another to beat the system will no longer succeed, saying that once identified as a foreigner, applicants are immediately blocked in real time.
