The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is intensifying efforts to institutionalise the Mobile Passport Application Centre for effective and efficient service delivery, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has said.
Mr Ablakwa indicated that Parliament will soon consider an appropriate fee for the Mobile Passport Application Centre for its rollout. The initiative is expected to bring services closer to institutions and individual applicants who desire to have their biodata captured in the comfort of their own locations.
The Minister was speaking during his visit to the Ashanti Regional Passport Application Centre on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, as part of his working visit, where he met with staff to acquaint himself with the realities on the ground and gain firsthand insight into the challenges confronting the centre.
The Mobile Passport Application Centre, which exists as a temporary service, is now expected to be a permanent feature of passport application services under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with its own accompanying staff for its special service delivery. It is a passport office on wheels which, upon request, visits localities and institutions to offer similar services to those offered at various Passport Application Centre offices. It is aimed at reducing queues and serving people in regions, districts, campuses and during special outreach programmes.
New passport centre
The Minister also disclosed that the Ashanti Region will have a second Passport Application Centre by the first quarter of 2027.
Mr Ablakwa explained that the region's population has placed undue pressure on staff and equipment, hence the need for the new centre. He said work has progressed on the new centre at Ashanti Mampong to reduce the burden and risks of travelling long distances for applicants on their scheduled biometric capture dates.
This will add to the seven centres opened last year in the Upper East Region and the six newly created regions. He expressed optimism that the new passport office, when fully operational, will create an avenue to increase the Ministry's internally generated funds.
Innovation
Mr Ablakwa indicated that the initiative is an innovative measure aimed at generating revenue for new developments and renovations across Passport Application Centres in the country. He said data points to a surge in revenue due to the new innovations compared to previous years, while admitting that more still needed to be done to improve passport service delivery to the public.
As part of efforts to improve service delivery and enhance staff mobility for essential duties, the Minister added that the Ministry has purchased 20 pick-up vehicles for all Passport Application Centres across the country. He described the procurement of the new fleet as part of deliberate efforts to revamp and improve conditions at passport offices nationwide.
Mr Ablakwa maintained that some of the vehicles currently being used by the centres were no longer efficient, adding that there was a need to replace some equipment, including computers and furniture, to enhance the efficiency of operations. The Minister explained that his visit was necessary to establish the facts on the ground against the backdrop of daily reports received by his office on the operations of the centres.
Assurance
Mr Ablakwa assured staff that their welfare would remain a priority, stressing his commitment to providing a conducive working environment that would enable them to give their best and deliver efficient services to the public.
He, however, urged staff to expedite the transfer of the finalised process for every application to ensure that passports are delivered within the stipulated 15 working days. He also urged staff to take extra care of aged applicants and provide good customer service to every applicant to further cement the goodwill expressed by the public towards the new reforms.
