The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has appealed to the United States to deny entry to persons allegedly issued with Ghanaian diplomatic and service passports based on public positions they do not hold.

The party said it had identified six individuals who were allegedly granted service passports after being described as officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Fisheries Commission, despite claims that they did not hold the positions stated in the applications.

In a letter raising concerns about what it described as a threat to the integrity of Ghana's travel documents and international security, the NPP urged the relevant authorities to scrutinise holders of the passports before granting them entry.

The party argued that diplomatic and service passports are issued based on the official positions held by their bearers and should only be used by persons whose duties require official travel.

“A Ghanaian diplomatic or service passport is issued because of the office its bearer holds,” the NPP said.

“The bearer must be an official of the State whose duties require official travel. It is the office that qualifies a person for the document. Where the office is not held, there is no lawful basis for issuing it.”

According to the NPP, letters from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approved service passports for six individuals described as officials of NADMO and the Fisheries Commission.

The party alleged that none of the six individuals held the positions attributed to them, claiming that some of the positions were occupied by other officers while others did not exist.

The NPP specifically cited three persons listed in correspondence relating to the Fisheries Commission.

It said Issah Ayisha was described as a “Deputy Director, Aquaculture Specialist”, although the party claimed no such deputy director position existed.

Bennor Yussif was also listed as “Deputy Director, Information Technology”, a position the NPP said was held by another officer, while Adom Emmanuel Kwabena was described as an “Assistant Finance Manager”, which the party claimed was not a position at the Commission.

The party said it had attached photographs of officers it identified as the actual holders of some of the positions to enable authorities to compare them with individuals presenting passports issued under the approvals.

“A passport cannot be for official use where its bearer holds no office that calls for official travel,” the NPP said.

The party argued that the alleged irregular issuance of the passports posed risks not only to Ghana's reputation but also to countries that recognise and honour Ghanaian diplomatic and service passports.

“The risk extends beyond Ghana's reputation to the border security of every country that honours these documents,” it added.

The NPP further alleged that the six cases were not isolated and said it had reason to believe that other diplomatic and service passports may have been issued to individuals based on positions they did not hold or positions that did not exist.

“These six cases are not isolated,” the party said, adding that it would bring further cases to the attention of diplomatic missions as they were confirmed.

The NPP said it was raising the matter as part of its responsibility as the main opposition party to hold the government accountable and called for a transparent account of diplomatic and service passports issued since the current administration assumed office in January 2025.

The allegations have not yet been publicly responded to by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the government.