The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, has asked Ghanaians to disregard a publication that suggests that he said the Ministry is unaware of government’s E-passport initiative.
The Deputy Minister in a statement said “my attention has been drawn to an interview I granted Akoma FM on Thursday morning which seeks to claim I stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no knowledge of the project to transform Ghana card to a traveling document or an e-passport.”
“For the records, at no stage of the interview did I say that. Whoever is behind that story is being mischievous or can’t translate the twi language to good English.”
He noted that he mentioned that the Ministry was fully aware of the project during the interview.
“At no point did I deny knowledge of it. I plead with those of you who have elected to go to town with an inverted story to kindly locate and listen to the interview,” he added.
Mr. Ampratwum-Sarpong further explained that he was quite reluctant to provide details of the project since it is an initiative of the office of the Vice President.
“This is a project which was initiated and being managed by the office of the Vice President and not the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
“It is therefore difficult for me to be the person to give better and further particulars. At best it’s the Veep office where the project managers are based.”
The Ghana Card can now be used as an e-passport in 44,000 airports globally.
It follows the recognition of the Ghana Card globally as an electronic passport that can be read and verified in all International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) compliant borders.
At a ceremony, held at the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal in Canada on Wednesday [February 9, 2022], Ghana was officially presented with the certificate to make the Ghana Card an e-passport to be accepted at 44,000 airports across the globe.
This means the Ghana Card, which is a unique biometric identification card, will be accepted as an e-passport in 197 borders globally and 44,000 airports in the world.
Holders of the Ghana Card will be allowed to board any flight to Ghana by just showing the card.
