President Akufo-Addo commissions the new passport office
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday inaugurated a new head office of Passport Office at Ridge, Accra.
The new office is to provide improved services in the acquisition and issuance of passports for Ghanaians.
The newly inaugurated office, which is a three-level purpose-built edifice, comes with ancillary facilities such as meeting room, cafeteria for staff, and a well-structured records/archival rooms, among others.
Passport acquisition
President Akufo-Addo indicated that the new office will go a long way to help the Passport Office in its operations since “we all can agree that appropriate accommodation has been obtained.”
He commended the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration for spearheading the massive transformation of the country’s passport administration, and how she has distinguished herself as the front-liner in Ghana’s diplomacy.
“I believe that for the reasons that you set out, and at the long last, we now have a process for obtaining passport that can be done in an objective and transparent manner,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo charged management and staff of the office to ensure that the place is well maintained and kept, “and the purpose of efficient administration of the passport regime of the country” is achieved.
Easy process
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, said the move is to make passport acquisition easier for Ghanaians in the diaspora.
She disclosed that, currently, the acquisition of passports has been made easier, and brought to the doorstep of Ghanaians following the establishment of Passport Application Centres (PACs) in Kumasi, Tamale, Koforidua, Tema, Ho, Takoradi, and Sunyani as well as Premium PACs in Accra and Kumasi to provide expedited services.
“I am pleased to inform you that we will soon be commissioning new PACs in Cape Coast and Wa in the coming days, including a new Premium Centre in Tamale,” the Minister announced.
Ms Botchwey touched on the importance of the integrity and security of the Ghanaian passport, and cautioned the public to guard the application process.
“It is a civic responsibility to guard the passport application process and not yield it to unscrupulous people to undermine the integrity of our passports. We need the cooperation and support of all stakeholders to protect the sanctity of our passports,” the Minister said.
Chief of Staff
Ms Botchwey expressed gratitude to the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei Opare, who, according to her, was instrumental in the allocation of the new building and its refurbishment for use as the new Passport Office.
“I wish to also express appreciation to all those who in diverse ways played significant roles in ensuring the successful completion of this building, in particular, the consultants of this project, Architectural and Engineering Services Limited, the contractor, Coppey Limited, and last but not the least, the Technical Committee on Passports, led by my two able Deputy Ministers, who worked tirelessly to bring this to fruition,” she said.
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