Ghana's Foreign Ministry Cancels 10 Illegally Issued Passports

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ghana has cancelled 10 service passports that were allegedly issued to unqualified individuals through an illegal arrangement. This move comes after a petition was received on October 8, 2026, and an investigative committee was constituted on October 13, 2026. The committee's preliminary investigations established that individuals who did not qualify for service passports obtained the documents after making illegal payments to members of a syndicate.

Two officials, including the Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and a junior Foreign Service Officer, Alhassan Sumani, have been interdicted over their alleged involvement in the scheme. They have been referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution. According to the Ministry, Mr. Sumani, who was recruited into the Foreign Service on November 29, 2024, was identified as the alleged chief architect of the scheme and had operated as a middleman before joining the Foreign Service.

The 10 service passports identified through preliminary investigations were issued between January 2023 and August 2026, and all the documents have been cancelled and can no longer be used. Ghana's international partners have been notified, and the holders of the passports are being pursued, including two individuals who allegedly used the illegally acquired documents to travel abroad in 2023.

The Ministry disclosed that the first petitioner in 2023 claimed to have paid US$29,000 to persons involved in the arrangement, while another petitioner in 2026 alleged that he paid US$5,000. These petitions prompted the investigations and subsequent interdiction of the two officers. The Ministry also indicated that the security services would investigate the conduct of the former Director of Passports during the period in question, Ambassador Mohammed Habib Idris.

The Ministry's statement appears to draw a distinction between its findings and the wider allegations raised by the Minority in Parliament, which has called for a parliamentary inquiry into the alleged sale of both diplomatic and service passports. However, the Ministry maintained that its investigations had so far uncovered irregularities involving service passports and that no evidence had emerged to establish the sale of diplomatic passports.

Between 2009 and 2016, a total of 1,397 service passports were issued, compared with 3,174 between 2017 and 2024 and 754 from 2025 to date. For diplomatic passports, 2,899 were issued between 2009 and 2016, 5,682 between 2017 and 2024, and 1,944 since 2025. The Ministry assured Ghanaians and international partners of its commitment to transparency and accountability.

The Ministry promised that anyone found culpable would face the appropriate consequences. The development comes amid growing controversy over the alleged sale and irregular issuance of Ghanaian diplomatic and service passports. The Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Abu Jinapor, had presented documents, including approval letters and payment records, which he said pointed to irregularities in the issuance of the special travel documents.

Key points

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ghana has cancelled 10 service passports issued illegally and interdicted two officials over their alleged involvement in the scheme.
• The investigations concerned service passports and not diplomatic passports, with no evidence emerging to establish that diplomatic passports were being sold.
• The Ministry has assured Ghanaians and international partners of its commitment to transparency and accountability, promising that anyone found culpable would face the appropriate consequences.