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The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has announced a significant reduction in the cost of an ordinary 32-page passport booklet in Ghana.
According to him, this initiative is part of the government’s efforts to make passports easily accessible to Ghanaians.
It will be recalled that, effective Monday, 1st April, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, announced an upward adjustment in application fees for a 32-page passport booklet under the standard service, increasing the cost from GH¢100 to GH¢500.
She justified the increment by stating that the ministry had been incurring losses on the printing of passport booklets due to unrealistic pricing.
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However, addressing Parliament on Thursday, 13th March, Minister Ablakwa disclosed that the cost would be reduced from GH¢500 to GH¢350, following a directive from President John Dramani Mahama.
He stated:
In our efforts to make passports more accessible to all Ghanaians, and per instructions from His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama, we are pleased to announce a reduction in the cost of the ordinary passport booklet—the 32-page booklet—from GH¢500 to GH¢350.
The minister further revealed plans to amend the fees and charges in the coming days to reflect the reduction.
Additionally, Mr Ablakwa highlighted an ongoing review process by the Passport Review Committee for the rollout of chip-embedded passports.
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That review is underway, and all stakeholders are meeting tomorrow to finalise the process. Once the contract review is complete, we will transition to the phase-out and rollout of chip-embedded passports, ensuring a smooth transition.
The latest announcement forms part of the government’s commitment to improving the passport application system in the country.