Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel A. Jinapor, has clarified that the mass rollout of Ghana’s chip-embedded passport is the result of years of strategic planning, procurement, and execution under the previous Akufo-Addo administration — not an initiative by the current government, as recent narratives suggest.
In a press release dated May 6, 2025, Jinapor 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.
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. This model, he noted, minimized the financial burden on the public purse.
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.
“It is, therefore, through the hard work and dedication of the Akufo-Addo Government that Ghana is now issuing electronic chip-embedded passports,” Jinapor stated, urging the current government to “focus on the effective distribution and roll-out” rather than claiming credit.
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.
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