The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has dismissed media allegations that the Ghana Card, the country’s national identity card, is similar to an electronic passport as “incorrect.”
ICAO stated that it is the sovereign authority of each individual state to decide upon its entrance and exit procedures, as well as the documents that must be submitted by persons traveling to and/or from its territory, and that such a decision could only be made by Ghana’s government hence denies agreeing to Ghana Card as e-passport.
The United Nations specialized agency for civil aviation stressed in a Twitter thread on Friday, February 11, that it is not its responsibility to certify the use of a member’s ID card for overseas travel in lieu of a passport.
”ICAO is aware of recent and incorrect media reports claiming that ICAO has agreed that the Ghanaian ID card is equivalent to an ePassport. However, it is not ICAO’s role to certify the use of a State’s Identity Card for international travel in place of a passport.” ICAO Tweeted.
“A number of States worldwide accept specified national ID cards as identity documents during air travel based on bilateral agreement between issuing and receiving states. *Any* decision to accept such alternative travel identity documents is made by the receiving state itself” they added.
Background…
This comes as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) staged a ceremony on Wednesday, February 9 to commemorate the completion of Ghana’s work to convert the Ghana Card into an e-passport, a project spearheaded by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
To this, ICAO has denied agreeing Ghana Card is e-passport saying “Any decision to accept such alternative travel identity document is made by the receiving state itself.”
