Foreign Affairs Minister Ablakwa personally delivers new chip-embedded passports to applicants

In a move that marks a bold departure from the traditional mode of public service delivery, Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, stepped out onto the streets of Accra on Friday to personally hand-deliver the country’s new chip-embedded passports to applicants.

This hands-on gesture comes as part of a broader reform agenda introduced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aimed at making passport acquisition easier and faster for Ghanaians. The initiative, executed in partnership with Ghana Post, is currently distributing over 5,000 passports nationwide within a week — a major milestone in the ongoing rollout of Ghana’s new biometric passports.

Applicants involved in this phase of the reform received their passports within two weeks of application, signaling a major efficiency improvement in the passport issuance process.

Wearing a crisp white long-sleeve kaftan, Minister Ablakwa made surprise visits to the workplaces of applicants, personally placing their travel documents into their hands. His actions were symbolic — meant to underscore a new era of convenience and responsiveness in public service.

“I wanted to experience firsthand the joy of Ghanaians receiving this essential service without stress,” Ablakwa said, after delivering passports directly to several individuals.

He stressed that the days of frustrated citizens making repeated trips to passport offices were being replaced with a seamless, citizen-friendly model.

The home and office delivery system is part of a sweeping package of reforms initiated by the Passport Reforms Committee, which was established on the Minister’s first day in office.

Among the first recipients of the new service were Ms Doreen Klutse, an employee of the Ghana Library Authority, and Mr Abdul Razak Osmanu, a businessman residing in Pig Farm, Accra.

Ms Klutse shared her astonishment at the unexpected delivery: “I didn’t know my passport will be delivered to me personally. All I knew was that when your time is due, you will have to go to the application centre personally to claim it. But when I received a text and a call from Ghana Post, I was surprised.”

She added, “Even more shocking was receiving my passport from the Foreign Minister as the first for the delivery service initiative.”

With this symbolic gesture and the broader reforms underway, the Ministry is seeking to reset expectations around public sector efficiency, accessibility, and accountability — using the passport service as a model for future citizen-centered innovation.