The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has fumed at the outrageous charges that citizens have to pay to get their passports in the country.
The minister expressed her anger at the situation when she dismissed overstaying officers and agency representatives at various passport offices in the Greater Accra Region.
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey expressed her shock at how passport processes that should cost at most, GH¢150 for expedited options, have now shot up to as high as GH¢3000.
“Reports that officers, and there are nine or so agencies represented in any passport application centre… these people are involved in illegal activities, and when I say illegal activities, we know just two days ago the report in Daily Guide that the issue of goro people involved in our passport acquisition process has become rife. It is wrong.
“How can GH¢100 Ghana for standard service of passport acquisition and GH¢150 for expedited service be bumped up to 2,000 and 3,000? I hear they don’t even charge GH¢2,000 now; they are charging 3000 and it is wrong.
“But I can say and we all will agree that a goro person is outside the passport office and they need somebody inside to work with, they cannot do it on their own, people are paying 2,000, 3,000 to acquire a passport, why should this be so?” she said.
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey had made an unannounced visit to the passport office in Accra on Monday, August 14, 2023, when she made the comments.
She also lamented the re-emergence of ‘goro’ boys at these offices.
