I Was Able To Travel From Germany To Ghana With My Ghana Card - Dr. Emmanuel Acheampong

Dr. Emmanuel Acheampong, a lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, disclosed that the Ghanacard prevented him from missing his departure from Germany to Ghana after losing his passport.

Speaking on Okay FM Dr. Acheampong recounted on Friday morning how he arrived at the Hamburg airport only to realize he had forgotten his passport at home, but the Ghanacard saved the day.

"Yesterday, I was traveling to Ghana from Europe. I joined the check-in line at the airport, but when it was my turn to be processed, I was unable to locate my passport. I checked all of my bags but could not locate my passport, so I contacted home and was informed that I had left it at home, said Dr. Acheampong to Okay FM.

"I had only one option, which was to rebook the flight at an additional expense. Then I recalled that, according to media reports from some time ago, it is possible to travel to Ghana with a Ghanacard, and that I had one in my purse."

"Therefore, I approached the airline Air France and presented them with my Ghanacard to establish that I am a Ghanaian and had a reason to travel to Ghana. They scanned my Ghanacard, which is machine-readable, to validate that I am a Ghanaian.

"They also conferred with immigration officials at the airport, but by the time they completed these procedures, I had missed my Air France departure. However, due to the alliance between Air France and KLM, I was rebooked on KLM. Using my Ghanacard, I traveled from Hamburg to Ghana via Amsterdam," he added.

Because Dr. Acheampong had linked his Ghanacard to his passport and driver's license, it was simpler and quicker for officials to verify his identity using the Ghanacard, he explained.

"Intriguingly, because I had linked my passport and driver's license to my Ghanacard, they were able to see that I am indeed a Ghanaian citizen when they scanned it."

"The Ghanacard is machine-readable, so you can insert it into any machine that can read it, and all the information on it will be displayed, which is precisely what the airline did without my passport.

"When I arrived in Ghana, I discovered that the Ghana Immigration Service had a special desk for Ghanacard bearers. Therefore, I did not go through the normal Immigration channel, which required a passport. I approached the special counter. I was unaware that such a thing existed."

Prior to his personal experience, Dr. Acheampong did not believe the Ghanacard could be used for travel.

"I was honestly astonished that the Ghanacard could be used for travel. When reports emerged a few months ago that the Ghanacard could be used as a travel document, many individuals were skeptical. "I, too, did not believe it," he acknowledged.

"However, I was caught off guard yesterday because if I had missed my flight, I would have had to pay to rebook it, so I said no, let me try it because the government had proclaimed that Ghanacards could be used for travel. It worked fortunately when I attempted it. It spared me time and money, and I am delighted to be home."

He described the Ghanacard as an excellent initiative and urged Ghanaians to adopt it as well as the government's other digitization efforts in the country.

"The Ghanacard is an extremely valuable initiative. Not only the Ghanacard, but also the initiatives to digitize numerous aspects of our economy and national life are crucial. Before any office or government would engage you, you will be identified as the actual person wherever you go.

"This is a commendable endeavor that Ghanaians should embrace. My personal experience demonstrates that some of these initiatives can be helpful, particularly in situations like mine."