"By the end of first quarter of 2022, Ghana Card will be recognized globally as an e-passport and can be verified in all International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) compliant borders, which currently is made up of 197 countries and 4,000 airports."

These were the words of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia when he announced to the nation during a public lecture at the Ashesi University in November last year that the Ghana Card would become an e-passport which would be recognised by the International Civil Aviation Organization and 177 countries as an electronic passport.

True to Dr. Bawumia's announcement, an official ceremony by the ICAO, at its headquarters in Montreal, Canada, has today officially recognised the Ghana Card as an e-passport valid in 197 countries and 44,000 airports around the globe.

The official confirmation means, with the Ghana Card, Ghanaians will be able to use it as means of identification to fly into Ghana from anywhere in the world.

Also Ghanaians in the diaspora will now be able to use their Ghana Card to identify themselves and fly into Ghana without visas.

DOUBTING THOMASES

Following Bawumia’s announcement last year, key officials of the opposition NDC launched a vigorous campaign to discredit the Vice President's announcement, which many described as impossible.

Below are some leading NDC officials who led a vigorous campaign to discredit the Vice President:

Sammy Gyamfi: the National Communications head of the NDC led the party's campaign to attack the Vice President for the announcement. On several platforms, Gyamfi spoke about how it's impossible to turn the Ghanacard into an e-passport.
Interestingly, Sammy Gyamfi's line of argument to brand Bawumia’s e-passport announcement was adopted by NDC communicators across the country.

Osei Kwame Griffiths, NDC Head of IT: the NDC's IT guru also spoke in the media and stated emphatically that the Ghana Card can never become an e-passport.
The media variously reported Griffiths "expert" opinion, which sought to give insights into why the Ghana Card can never become an e-passport.

Kwesi Pratt: the veteran journalist, Kwesi Pratt, did not only attack the announcement, he also described it as lies.
He urged Ghanaians to disregard Bawumia's lies and wondered how anyone could even imagine turning the Ghana Card into an e-passport.

Kwesi Pratt, probably unaware that there were truly 197 ICAO members, went on an attacking spree and hit at the Vice President for saying there were 197 countries in the world.