Africa-Press – Ghana. All the 16 regions of Ghana will have fully operational passport application centres by the end of December 2025, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, has announced.
He said the move forms part of the government’s agenda to decentralise passport services and make them accessible to every Ghanaian, regardless of their location.
Mr Ablakwa made the commitment in Bolgatanga when he commissioned a temporary passport application centre for the Upper East Region, the first ever in the region’s history.
The initiative was made possible through a collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council and the Alagumgube Association, an advocacy and development-oriented group in the region.
The Minister explained that currently, 10 regions (Upper East Region inclusive) already had passport application centres, leaving only the six newly created regions-Oti, Bono East, North East, Savannah, Western North, and Ahafo-without one.
The Foreign Affairs Minister said: “There are seven regions in Ghana without passport application centres. Today, when we commission the Upper East Regional Passport Application Centre, that number will reduce to six, which means that the six new regions will be the regions left.
“I have tasked my management at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that by the end of December, the end of this year 2025, there must be no region in Ghana without a passport application centre.
“And I want to assure you that we are putting the resources, we are putting the effort, and I am very confident that by the end of this year, all 16 regions in Ghana will have passport application centres.”
He described the opening of the Bolgatanga centre as a “history-making process”, noting that the project symbolised inclusivity and equal access to government services.
“Development must not be centred only in certain areas of our country. Government services must be made available to all parts of Ghana, so that all of us can feel a part of our national progress and our national transformation,” he emphasised.
Mr Ablakwa lauded the Alagumgube Association for its patriotic contribution and for mobilising resources to support the renovation of the facility, as well as the Ghana Commercial Bank for making its property available for the project.
He described the initiative as a “mark of togetherness, unity and community support.”
He indicated that the Ministry had undertaken several reforms including the introduction of chip-embedded passports that meet International Civil Aviation Organisation standards, e-tracking systems to monitor applications, and courier services that deliver passports directly to applicants’ homes and offices.
“Now, when you apply for a passport, you no longer have to go back to the passport application centre to form queues to receive your passport. We have now introduced courier service, where your passport will be delivered to you at the comfort of your home or office.”
Mr Ablakwa also announced that passport processing timelines had been reduced to 15 working days, with an expedited option of three days for applicants who pay a little more.
In addition, he disclosed that government had submitted new fees and charges to Parliament to reduce the cost of obtaining a Ghanaian passport, adding that, “In less than 21 days, the new fees will come into force and passport application fees for the ordinary passports will no longer be GHC500.00 but will be reduced to GHC350.00.”
The Minister cautioned the public against paying extra fees to courier officers or middlemen, stressing that the courier service charge had been factored into the official passport fee.
He urged Ghanaians to use the official online application portal and avoid engaging unauthorised agents, who he called “goro boys”.
Mr Ablakwa reaffirmed his Ministry’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of the Ghanaian passport
“We have tightened our security protocols, and no foreigner is going to have it easy in attempting to acquire a Ghanaian passport…once you are blacklisted in one region, that is it, you are blacklisted in the entire Republic of Ghana,” he said.
The Minister later presented the first set of chip-embedded passports to seven applicants whose applications were processed within five days, symbolising the Ministry’s readiness to deliver efficient and modern passport services to the people of the Upper East Region.
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