Accra to get ultra-modern passport application centre

The old Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration building which was gutted by fire in 2009 is to be renovated into a new passport application centre.

The start date of the project is however unclear as the Ministry is awaiting the release of funds from the Ministry of Finance.

Speaking on Citi FM Tuesday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hannah Tetteh said, “In the process of making the passport application saner we believe that it’s important to have that facility. 

“What we want to do with that particular location is to build a new passport application centre which indeed will look like a banking hall with ten stations so that people can come and capture their biometric data ten at a time. Once we do that we will take the bulk of passport applications outside of the passport office” 

She explained that although the project is outlined in the Finance Minstry’s budget, she was in discussions with the Minister of Finance, Seth Terkper, at looking at the possibility of getting a facility which will be serviced with her Ministry’s internally generated funds to get the project done sooner than later.

“…If I’m going to wait for his budget it may take me forever… It’s in the budget but the fact that something is in the budget doesn’t mean it’s going to happen,” Hannah Tetteh explained.