Accra, Ghana – The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has urged Ghanaians to strictly adhere to lawful procedures when applying for passports. He emphasized that there is no need to engage middlemen, popularly referred to as “goro boys,” in the passport acquisition process.
Speaking during a media engagement at the Ministry on Thursday, April 23, 2025, Hon. Ablakwa called on the public to deal directly with staff of the Ministry to ensure transparency and efficiency in the system.
“I urge our compatriots to strictly adhere to only lawful processes in acquiring passports. Please deal directly with staff of the Ministry. You do not need a middleman or a goro boy. We are here to serve you with honesty and diligence. Our goal is to make your passport application experience a pleasant and a convenient one,” he said.
As part of efforts to improve service delivery, the Minister revealed plans to implement a 24-hour passport operation in line with President John Dramani Mahama’s 24-hour economy policy.
“We are introducing 24-hour passport operations in line with President Mahama’s 24-hour economy policy,” he stated.
He also announced upcoming innovations to improve convenience, including passport delivery through QR systems and the introduction of electronic tracking services that will enable applicants to monitor the entire passport application and delivery process.
Addressing concerns about the cost of passport applications, Hon. Ablakwa confirmed that the Ministry intends to reduce the application fee from GHC500 to GHC350 by amending the existing Fees and Charges Act.
“We are reducing the passport application fees by 30 percent. That is from 500 Ghana cities to 350 Ghana cities by amending the Fees and Charges Act as soon as Parliament resumes from recess,” he stated.
He clarified why the reduced fees have not yet taken effect, despite the earlier announcement.
“And point number five, are you receiving a lot of messages, petitions from Ghanaians? We heard about the reduction, but anytime we go online we still see 500 cities. Ghana is a country of laws. We have something called the Fees and Charges Act,” he explained.
He continued, “So we have announced our intention and we indicated in Parliament when we made that announcement that we will be amending the Fees and Charges Act. We have done that in Cabinet, but we have to come to Parliament for the amendment to take place. So distinguished people of Ghana, that is why, even though we have made the announcement, we have announced our intentions, we have not seen the 350 reflect as of today.”
Hon. Ablakwa assured Ghanaians that the reduced fees will take effect once Parliament resumes and the legislative amendment is passed.
“But as soon as Parliament resumes from recess and the Fees and Charges Act is amended, you can expect that the reduction will now reflect in your pockets, as we say in Ghana,” he added.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites
) / Ahotoronline.com | Ghana 
