Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has emphasized on plans to reduce costs associated with the acquisition of passports in Ghana.
Okudzeto described the Ghc500.00 fee for passport acquisition as too expensive and promised to see to the reduction of the cost with parliamentary approval.
“Passport application fees have become too expensive for the ordinary Ghanaian. People are complaining, and when we toured the country, they told us they want us to do something about it,” he said.
He pledged to work to reexamine the cost structure and ensure affordability, especially for underprivileged groups.
“We want to take a second look at the structure. We will go back to Parliament to amend the fees and charges. Our goal is to reduce fees for ordinary Ghanaians and make passports more affordable. I also believe that certain groups, like brilliant but needy students on scholarships, should be able to acquire passports for free,” he added.
However, he clarified that business professionals and entrepreneurs who require premium services would not benefit from the reduced fees, as they can afford the current charges.
He also announced the passport office will work day, night and dawn shifts to significantly reduce passport processing times in Ghana.
The Minister indicated that the reform will ensure the Ministry operates 24 hours a day, reducing the current waiting period of three to four weeks to just a week.
According to him, this initiative is part of a broader plan to streamline passport services and enhance efficiency nationwide, and also lead to the realization of the 24 hour economy policy.
To support the new system, he said the ministry is expanding its data centers and improving facilities at its headquarters and the upgrades will include more comfortable public spaces such as conference rooms, ensuring a better experience for applicants.
He revealed that to decentralize services, the ministry is rolling out a program to establish decent passport application centers in every region.
