Ghana Passport Application: Foreign Affairs Ministry Proposes Over 500% Increase In Fees
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has proposed an increase in passport application fees from GH¢100 to GH¢400
- The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, defended the proposal in Parliament
- The proposal is to enable the ministry to make the printing of passport booklets more cost-effective
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has put a proposal before Parliament to review the current charges for passport application from GH¢100 to GH¢644.
The proposal is to enable the ministry to make printing passport booklets more cost-effective.
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The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, defended the proposal in Parliament on Thursday.
"It is time for Ghanaians to pay realistic prices for passports they acquire to travel beginning next year."
She said that due to financial constraints prevailing in the economy, it had come to a point where it was no longer “sustainable” for the state to continue subsidising passports.
Per the Committee on Foreign Affairs report on the 2024 budget estimates of the ministry, a comparison of Ghana’s passport fees with that of other West African countries shows the rate of $7.7 is the lowest within the sub-region.
The report said Cameroon charges $180, Guinea $57, Guinea-Bissau $65, Burkina Faso $80 and Nigeria $54.29.
Minister fumes over corruption at Accra passport office
YEN.com.gh reported that the foreign affairs minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, lamented the continued corruption at the passport office in Accra.
The minister decided to relieve all staff seconded to the office as part of an attempt to clean up the system.
Botchwey has also said there will be an investigation into personnel conduct at the passport office in Accra.
Extra payments at the passport office
YEN.com.gh reported such issues at the passport office when a man recounted that he was allowed to wait in a queue or pay a token of GH¢85 to be served instantly.
A lady came out to explain that this service may not be as bad as it sounds because it is normal for people to pay for convenience. The man declined the offer made to him by the woman.
Roll out of chip-embedded passport
Ghana is bracing for the roll-out of chip-embedded passports or e-passports before the end of 2023.
Director of Passports Alhaji Mohammed Habid Idris said the e-passports are the way for Ghana because of their enhanced security features.
Since October 2022, Ghana has been gearing up to roll out innovative e-passports that have already been introduced in about 150 countries.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
