The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has uncovered an alleged illegal Service Passport issuance scheme involving a syndicate accused of issuing passports to unqualified persons in exchange for payments.
In a statement issued on Sunday, November 8, 2026, the Ministry said preliminary investigations had confirmed that 10 individuals were issued Service Passports between January 2023 and August 2026 despite not meeting the requirements for such documents.
The Ministry disclosed that the investigation followed two petitions received on October 8, 2026, and in 2026, with the petitioners alleging that they paid US$29,000 and US$5,000 respectively to individuals involved in the scheme.
According to the Ministry, a committee was constituted on October 13, 2026, on the instructions of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to investigate the allegations.
The Acting Director of Passports, Mahama Yahaya Amantana, and a junior Foreign Service Officer, Alhassan Sumani, have since been interdicted.
Mr Sumani, identified in the petitions as the alleged mastermind, is accused of operating as a middleman, popularly known as a ‘goro boy’, in 2023 before joining the Foreign Service on November 29, 2024.
The Ministry said both officers had also been referred to the Ghana Police Service for further investigations and possible prosecution.
The 10 individuals identified in the Ministry’s preliminary findings are Richard Sakyi Apenteng, Augustina Agyei Boateng, Juliet Amankwa, Rebecca Agyeiwaa, Prince Ahensah, Maybel Ahensah, Twumasi Francis Kwame, Gyabaah Anthony, Frederick Ennin and Bosompem Richard.
The Ministry stressed that the alleged irregularities were being investigated as part of efforts to protect the integrity and credibility of Ghana’s passport administration system.
The statement also highlighted reforms introduced under the Mahama administration, including the introduction of chip-embedded passports, the establishment of Passport Application Centres across all 16 regions, 24-hour operations, free courier delivery and electronic tracking.
It further noted that the passport application fee had been reduced from GH¢500 to GH¢350 to improve affordability.
By: Bernard Mensah
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