NPP questions issuance of diplomatic, service passports to persons without official state positions

The opposition party has petitioned the US Embassy to suspend diplomatic courtesies for affected passport holders and called for an independent audit of documents issued since January 2025.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has raised concerns over the alleged issuance of Ghanaian diplomatic and service passports to individuals who do not occupy the official positions used to justify their applications.

In a petition dated October 30, 2026, and signed by its General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, the party asked the United States Embassy in Accra to suspend diplomatic courtesies for holders of the passports in question until their eligibility is independently verified.

The NPP cited two approval letters issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 6 and 7, 2026, covering six individuals described as officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Fisheries Commission.

The individuals named are Twumasi Francis Kwame, Shaibu Alhassan Abu, Gyabaah Anthony, Issah Ayisha, Bennor Yussif and Adom Emmanuel Kwabena.

According to the party, the positions attributed to the six beneficiaries were either occupied by other officers or did not exist within the institutions concerned.

NPP identifies alleged discrepancies

The party said the first approval letter listed three individuals as NADMO officials, describing them as Deputy Director of Climate Change, Director of Hydro and Director of Geology.

However, the NPP claimed those positions were held by other officers, whom it identified as Ebenezer Vandyke, Dr Bertha Kusimi and Bright Atama.

Regarding the Fisheries Commission, the party alleged that the designation of Deputy Director of Aquaculture Specialist did not exist, while the positions of Deputy Director of Information Technology and Assistant Finance Manager were also inaccurately represented.

The NPP argued that the alleged discrepancies raised questions about the basis on which the passports were approved, particularly because the Ministry’s letters reportedly stated that the documents were intended strictly for official use.

Calls for verification and audit

The party has asked the US Mission to subject Ghanaian diplomatic and service passports issued from January 7, 2025, to enhanced verification, including direct confirmation of holders’ official positions with the institutions they claim to represent.

It has also urged the Ghanaian government to suspend passports issued to ineligible persons, publish a comprehensive list of diplomatic and service passports issued since January 2025, and commission an independent audit led by the Auditor-General or another independent body.

The NPP further wants passports found to have been issued irregularly revoked and recovered, with anyone found culpable referred for investigation and possible prosecution.

The allegations have not, in the reports available, been independently established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the institutions named.

The controversy comes against the background of a passport recall exercise announced by the Foreign Affairs Ministry in January 2025, which sought to retrieve official passports from persons no longer serving in qualifying state positions.

The NPP says its latest petition is intended to protect Ghana’s national interest while ensuring that legitimate state officials are not inconvenienced when travelling on official assignments.