Ghanaians react to decision to phase out birth certificate for passport acquisition

A consideration by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to phase out birth certificate as one of the requirements for acquiring a passport has generated a lot of reactions from Ghanaians.

According to Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Mohammad Habibu Tijani, the birth certificate has not been a valid document to prove a person’s true identity as a Ghanaian because there have been instances where some persons have presented fake ones.

This decision comes after a Supreme Court ruling that the birth certificate is not a form of identification because the document does not establish “the identity of the bearer”.

The decision written by Justice Ashie Kotey states that a birth certificate does not link its holder to the information it contains. It adds that it provides no evidence of citizenship.

The ruling of the Supreme Court and the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s consideration on the birth certificate has generated a lot of reactions from Ghanaians on social media.

A lot of them are not happy with the Supreme Court’s decision.

According to some people, instead of declaring the birth certificate as invalid for proving a person’s identity as a Ghanaian, the government can look at how other developed countries have made their birth certificates authentic enough to prove the identity of their citizens.

If foreign affairs ministry phase out birth certificate as a source document for the acquisition of a passport, how valid will the Ecowas card be?

— Bawomeya (@bawomeya) July 16, 2020

#joysms
If a birth certificate doesn't guarantee one's citizenship, then I don't think it should be part or the main fundamental requirement for the acquisition of a passport or national ID.. What a ruling from the supreme court..
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— Eugene G. Quarshie (@CommeteyEugene) July 17, 2020

So my birth certificate is useless?
So can i use my voter ID card to apply for a Passport??

— Divine Edem Amesh (@DivineAmesh) July 16, 2020

Ghana card that two people can just come and say yes yes and you get some no. That one mmom is form of identification and birth certificate is not? Boi3

— Bala_601 (@1noelguy) July 16, 2020

Our wise men at the supreme Court said birth certificate is not legal documents for attaining a citizenship in Ghana. Hmm well don't be bothered if they come to say to be a citizen your parents must have sex in a Ghanaian hospital. What kind of leadership and ruling is this

— Currency (@Currenc06539316) July 16, 2020

Now our own birth certificates can not prove our identity as Ghanaians because a group of people sat down to decide that. We are now going to rely on this NIA card for almost every registration. This same NIA card was made from “birth cert” so where are we going?

— Sung???????? (@mabr3moaden) July 17, 2020

I think what should be really discussed is what identification is. And who a citizen of Ghana is. Then let's see if the birth certificate holds any info that can identify or prove citizenship of a person. #CitiCBS

— Mr. Robert Amoah (@Mr_robertamoah) July 17, 2020