Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency, has informed that the NDC minority in Parliament will seek the withdrawal of the new passport application fee.
He opposed the introduction of new fees by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, describing them as “draconian.”
In a post on his Facebook profile, he wrote: “I am extremely disappointed in the Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has increased passport application fees astronomically.
“As my NDC colleagues and I have always argued on the Foreign Affairs Committee, the current economic crisis and unprecedentedly high cost of living make it untenable to impose such high fees.
“We argued at the committee that the worst-case scenario could be a phased approach once economic conditions improve, but unfortunately they ignored our advice and these insensitive We have decided to impose interest rates all at once.”
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should reconsider this harmful practice immediately. We will be sure to revisit this matter once Parliament resumes from recess,” he said.
background
From today, April 1, 2024 (Monday), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has increased the application fee for passport services from GHC100 to GHC500 for a standard 32-page booklet and GHC644 for a standard 48-page booklet.
Similarly, applicants who opt for the 32-page expedited service will pay GHC700 and GHC800 for the 48-page expedited service.
The new fees are included in the department’s 2024 budget estimate document and approved by the Legislature’s Subsidiary Legislative Committee.
The department’s online passport application page has been updated as well to reflect the new fees.
In December last year, Minister of Industry Shirley Ayoko Botchway asked Parliament’s Subsidiary Laws Committee to review passport application fees so that the ministry could reduce losses in passport booklet printing.
“The time has come for Ghanaians to pay a realistic price for the passports they will obtain for travel from next year,” the minister said.
The Minister also asserted that the current fee of $7.70 for obtaining a Ghanaian passport is the lowest in the sub-region.
“Ghanaians pay about GH¢100 for a passport, but it costs GH¢400 to produce one passport booklet. This means the government has to put in GH¢300 every time an applicant obtains a passport. “This is not sustainable,” she said. Added.
By comparison, passport services cost $180 in Cameroon, $57 in Guinea, $65 in Guinea-Bissau, $80 in Burkina Faso, and $54.29 in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the new fees proposed by the ministry were not challenged at the committee level within 21 days, paving the way for them to come into force.