Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the nominee for Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, has promised to implement technologically advanced changes to enhance Ghana’s passport application and issuance process.
In his address to the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Wednesday, January 29, Mr. Ablakwa emphasized the urgent need to modernize the current passport system in order to improve accessibility, efficiency, and transparency.
He recognized the difficulties that citizens encounter when applying for passports, such as hold-ups, bureaucratic snags, and claims of middlemen abusing the system.
“The other thing that I want to reform is our passport regime. There are too many complaints about how difficult it is to get passports and to get them in good time. I have been going through some briefs, and I noticed that we have a backlog of over 70,000 passports that have not been collected. Then there are issues with the middlemen, ‘goro’ boys and all of that,” he said.
He presented a strategy to use digital solutions to improve service delivery, eradicate corruption, and streamline procedures in order to allay these worries.
“I recall the former Foreign Minister, the Hon Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, storming the passport office in frustration and saying that, ‘look, this crisis cannot continue’. I would like to use technology to reform our passport regime. I don’t think that we should still be requiring Ghanaians who have a Ghana Card to go to the passport office for their biometrics.”
