Ghana Card as e-passport will create chaos, says expert
Michael Yao Foli, a retired pilot says it does not appear the Kotoka International Airport is prepared to accept Ghanaians arriving with Ghana Card
The Ghana Card cannot be accepted as an electronic passport for travelling across the globe, Michael Yao Foli, a retired pilot has said.
His comment comes after the Ghana Airports Company Limited informed airlines that the Ghana Card will from 1 March 2022, be recognised as an international travelling identity document, otherwise called e-passport for all Ghanaian holders travelling to Ghana.
Speaking to Asaase News, he said the use of the Ghana Card as e-passport will create chaos.
“E-passport came about because of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) attempt to prevent fraud, terrorism and drug trafficking. That is why we have e-passport now, so the e-passport must be used to confirmed that you are the actual person,” he said.
“So, airlines may not accept Ghana Card, immigration officials at point of departure will not accept Ghana Card, so how can Ghana Card be used for Ghanaians to travel and what is the advantage anyway? When we arrive at Kotoka and you have a Ghana Card, do we have machines that can read your Ghana Card and then allow you to enter without the hustle of going through immigration?” he asked.
Foli added: “So even domestically, I don’t know if we are prepared to accept Ghanaians arriving with Ghana Card and how can we impose this on airlines. So you see, the information being given out is not clear and from 1 March there will be confusion, Ghanaians are going to show up trying to board flights arguing that I am allowed to use Ghana Card.”
Ghana Card as e-passport begins 1 March
The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has informed airlines that the Ghana Card will from 1 March 2022, be recognised as an international travelling identity document, otherwise called e-passport for all Ghanaian holders travelling to Ghana.
The move means that Ghanaians in the diaspora, who hitherto needed a Ghanaian passport and a visa to travel back home, will now be able to use their Ghana Card to travel back to Ghana without a visa.
The GACL’s notification asked all airports and international airlines operating to Ghana to allow holders of the Ghana Card to board flights to Ghana, following the card’s recognition by ICAO as an international Machine Readable Travel Document.
The latest step by the GACL paves the way for airports and airlines to start recognising the Ghana Card as an e-passport.
Read the statement below:
Fred Dzakpata
Asaase Radio 99.5 – tune in or log on to broadcasts online
99.5 in Accra, 90.7 in Ho, 98.5 in Kumasi, 99.7 in Tamale, 89.5 in Tarkwa, and 106.9 in Walewale
Follow us on Twitter: @asaaseradio995
#AsaaseRadio
#TheVoiceofOurLand
