The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed that 375 individuals, believed to be foreigners, have been arrested for illegally possessing Ghana Cards and attempting to obtain Ghanaian passports.
Sector Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa attributed the rise in such cases to the increased value of the Ghanaian passport, which now allows visa-free travel to 42 countries. He emphasized that the ministry has introduced stringent security measures to curb fraudulent activities.
“Foreigners are trying to lay their hands on our passports. We need to stay ahead of the threat. Any foreigner attempting this will be promptly apprehended and prosecuted. So far, we have rounded up 375 people who we believe are not Ghanaians,” Ablakwa said.
As part of the tightened security, the ministry has also restricted mobile phone numbers used for passport applications, limiting each number to a maximum of five applications. “We detected multiple attempts by the same numbers, which have now been blocked in our system,” the Minister explained.
Ablakwa added that the new measures take into account community demographics, the number of minors, and parental responsibilities to prevent system exploitation. The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding Ghanaian passports and warned that violators of these measures would face prosecution.
