A major proposal by former Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to use the Ghana Card as a requirement for acquiring Ghanaian passports has been embraced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs-designate, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

Dr. Bawumia strongly argued that with Ghana's robust national identity system, which captures all the information required for passport applications, there is no need for Ghanaians to go through the additional biometric and passport application process.

As part of his presidential campaign, Dr. Bawumia promised that, if elected, holders of the Ghana Card would no longer face the strenuous passport application process. The Ghana Card would serve as sufficient documentation for Ghanaians to apply for passports comfortably from home.

Appearing before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Friday, January 31, 2025, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa expressed support for Bawumia's idea, which is also enshrined in the 2024 NPP manifesto.

"We would like to use technology to reform our passport system. I don't believe we should still require Ghanaians who possess a Ghana Card to go to the passport office for their biometrics.

"If you have a Ghana Card, we should be able to interface with it. It should be possible to sit at home and apply for your passport," Okudzeto Ablakwa stated.

Okudzeto Ablakwa's endorsement of Dr. Bawumia's idea has attracted reactions from many Ghanaians on social media, with many praising the vision of the former vice president.