Ghana Passport: Government Dealing With Low Patronage After Application Fee Increase
- The Passport Office is concerned about low patronage of passport applications following recent price hikes
- The Director of the Passport Office Headquarters said the trend was not a significant concern
- The standard application fee for 32 pages now costs GH¢500 while the expedited application fee for 32 pages costs GH¢640
The Passport Office has revealed low patronage of passport applications by Ghanaians following the price hike on April 1, 2024.
The Director of the Passport Office Headquarters, Paul Cudjoe, said the trend was not a significant concern.
Source: Getty Images
“Naturally, there will be a slowdown because for a long time, we had not increased the passport price and we needed to bridge the gap," said Cudjoe.
The standard application fee for 32 pages has gone from GH¢100 to GH¢500 while the expedited application fee for 32 pages has gone from GH¢100 to GH¢640.
PAY ATTENTION: All celebrity news in one place! Follow YEN's Facebook Broadcast channel and read on the go.
The fee for the 48-page application has gone from GH¢150 to GH¢644, while the expedited fee is now GH¢800.
The new prices are listed on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration website.
What did the foreign minister say about the increase?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration said the hikes would make printing passport booklets more cost-effective when its minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, defended the proposal in Parliament.
She said it was time for Ghanaians to pay realistic prices for passports.
Minister fumes over corruption at Accra passport office
YEN.com.gh reported that foreign affairs minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey lamented the continued corruption at the passport office in Accra.
The minister relieved all staff seconded to the office to clean up the system.
Botchwey has also said there will be an investigation into personnel conduct at the passport office in Accra.
Such issues at the passport office have been noted, like when a man recounted that he was made 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 woman's offer.
Proofread by Berlinda Entsie, journalist and copy editor at YEN.com.gh
New feature: Сheck out news that is picked for YOU ➡️ click on “Recommended for you” and enjoy!
Source: YEN.com.gh
