Foreign Affairs Ministry Begins Free Replacement of Passports for Flood Victims

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has begun handing back chip-embedded passports free of charge to Ghanaians affected by the recent devastating floods, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has announced.

In a Facebook post, Mr Ablakwa said the exercise is in fulfilment of a pledge to victims whose passports were damaged or lost in the floods.

“In keeping with my pledge, today the Ministry of Foreign Affairs commenced handing back our new chip-embedded passports to victims of the recent devastating floods whose passports were either damaged or lost,” the Minister stated.

According to him, about 500 Ghanaians have so far reached out to the Ministry to benefit from the FREE replacement exercise.

He noted that all beneficiaries have undergone the required security, nationality, biometric and verification protocols before the new passports were issued.

Mr Ablakwa commended officials of the Ministry for the smooth rollout of the intervention.

“I thank my Chief Director, Ambassador Khadijah Iddrisu, the Acting Director of Passports and colleagues at the Ministry for efficiently executing this humanitarian intervention for our fellow citizens,” he said.

The Foreign Minister described the initiative as the Ministry’s contribution to the national recovery effort.

“This is our Ministry’s modest contribution to the national recovery effort. Our prayers, thoughts and actions are with all victims,” he added.

The chip-embedded passports being handed back are part of Ghana’s upgraded passport regime aimed at enhancing security and meeting international travel standards.

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