The government has cancelled diplomatic and service passports issued to a total of 701 holders with immediate effect, saying such passports are no longer valid for international travels.The cancellation of these set of passports was necessitated by the failure of holders to comply with the government deadline to return it as directed.A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday and copied to The Ghanaian Times mentioned former Ministers and Spouses, former members of Parliament, former Members of the Council of State and Spouses, Former/Retired Justices of the Superior and the Lower Courts, and former Regional Ministers, Metropolitan, Munic­ipal, and District Chief Executives as category of holders.The Foreign Ministry named the others as Former Officers of State Institutions, Chairpersons and Members of Boards, Officials of the National Ca­thedral Project, Former Non-Career Ambassadors and Dependents, Religious and Traditional Leaders, Businessmen and Entrepreneurs, and Former Gov­ernment Functionaries."All other persons holding official passports not currently serving in any official capacity for the State, or otherwise holding any position that falls under the requirements of sections 6 and 7 of the Passport and Travel Certificates Act, 1967(NLCD 155)," the statement added.Meanwhile, the Ministry ac­knowledges the compliance of 407 holders of Diplomatic and 403 Service passports who duly returned their passport in line with the recall directive as of yesterday.The Office of the Presi­dent, directed the recall of all Diplomatic and Service Passports issued under the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led administration as part of efforts to enhance the integrity of Ghana's official travel documents and diplomatic engagements.In a letter dated January 14, 2025 addressed to the Chief Director of the Ministry of Foreign Af­fairs, Callistus Mahama, Secretary to the President, emphasised that the recall aligned with the govern­ment's commitment to ensuring the proper use and administration of official travel documents in com­pliance with national and international standards.The President set a January 24 deadline for all holders of such passports to submit them to the Foreign Affairs Ministry.The Ministry's Chief Director was also directed to ensure a thorough review of all returned pass­ports to ensure they align with the current eligibility criteria for issu­ance. BY CYNTHIA ASAMPANA