The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Reintegration has firmly stated that there will be no reconsideration of the recent adjustments to passport application fees.
This declaration comes following remarks from Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament and MP for North Tongu.
Ablakwa mentioned that the Minority Caucus in Parliament is advocating for a reversal of the new passport application fees, criticizing them as draconian.
Effective April 1, the Foreign Affairs Ministry increased the application fees for passport services to GH¢500 for a 32-page standard booklet and GH¢644 for a 48-page standard booklet.
Furthermore, the fees for expedited services have been set at GH¢700 for the 32-page option and GH¢800 for the 48-page option.
In response to the calls for a review of the upward adjustments by Ablakwa, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, reiterated that the fees would remain unchanged.
Speaking to journalists Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong said “With the support of the majority of Ghanaians, it has come to stay. There is nothing he can do about it. He can make his noise out there. If he wants to bring it to Parliament, we will meet him on the floor of Parliament, we will discuss it and will debate it.
“And at the end of the day, I can bet my last Cedi he will fall flat on his face. The reason why we are introducing this, like I said, principally, is the fact that we need to invest and improve service delivery.”
