Keta MP, Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey has asked the Vice-President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to clarify some comments he made about the government’s plan to make the Ghana Card an electronic passport.
The Vice-President, speaking at the Ashesi University on Tuesday, said government has been engaging with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to globally activate the e-passport function of the Ghana Card.
When talks are finalized, the Ghana Card, according to the Vice-President, will have an embedded microchip carrying information about the holder which can be read and verified in all (ICAO) compliant borders.
“When this happens, holders of the Ghana Card will be allowed to board any flight to Ghana. Furthermore, the good news for diasporan Ghanaians is that when the Ghana Immigration Service is linked to the NIA architecture, diasporan Ghanaians who hold the Ghana Card should not have to obtain visas to travel to Ghana,” he explained.
But the Keta MP wants the Vice-President to give further explanation.
He said Ghanaians living abroad already do not need visas to travel back into the country, hence, the need for the government to come clear.
“It’s not clear. We need clarity on what he is talking about. Currently, if you are Ghanaian, holding a Ghana passport outside, where you have a Green Card and working in America, when you are coming, you don’t need a visa, Kwame Gapkey told JoyNews on Wednesday.
The MP also wants the government to be clear with Ghanaians on the cost of its digitalization drive.
The Vice-President is spearheading the government’s efforts in digitalizing the country’s economy.
Various actions have been taken by the government in transforming Ghana’s economy through digitization.
Although these efforts have been commended by various groups and individuals, Kwame Gapkey wants the government to tell Ghanaians the cost of the project.
“I want to see the commitment of the government in terms of infrastructure improvement and the amount committed so far,” he said.
Source: Joy News
