Passport Office takes delivery of equipment

The Passport Office has taken delivery of 12 different information technology (IT) equipment to enhance service delivery.

The $1.32 million worth of equipment will be distributed to passport offices across the country.

The items included 50 desktop computers, 10 PowerEdge servers, 10 uninterruptible power supply systems, 60 digital cameras, 60 camera tripods, 70 scanners, 60 fingerprint/signature capturing machines and 20 split air conditioners.

The equipment were procured under the Public Sector Reform for Results Project, a government initiative under the Office of the Senior Presidential Advisor and the Public Sector Reform Secretariat, in collaboration with the World Bank.

The project, which covers 13 public sector institutions as frontline agencies, is aimed at “improving efficiency and accountability in the delivery of services of the selected entities”.

The other beneficiary agencies are the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, the Births and Deaths Registry, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, the Public Services Commission, the Office of the Head of Civil Service, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, the Monitoring and Evaluation Secretariat, the National Information Technology Agency and the Public Sector Reform Secretariat.

Presentation

The Senior Presidential Advisor, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, who made the presentation in Accra last Tuesday, said the equipment were to support the Passport Office to “embark on a process of increasing efficiency in the issuance of passports to citizens”.

He said currently, passport demand exceeded the delivery capacity of the office and expressed hope that the new equipment would facilitate timely delivery of passports.

Mr Osafo-Maafo further said that the Passport Office would be supported with additional IT equipment and modern passport printers before the end of the year “to increase efficiency and ultimately help citizens to reduce the time spent in accessing passports and also provide the needed reforms and transformation of services”.

“It is my fervent hope that the Passport Office will maintain these equipment and also make very good use of them for the greater benefit of the people,” he added.

Gratitude

The Director of Passports, Alhaji Mohammed Habib Idris, who received the equipment, gave the assurance that the office would maximise the use of the items to ensure efficient delivery of service to the public.

He said despite the constraints with equipment, the office had been working hard to satisfy public demand for passports.

Alhaji Idris also said the equipment would improve service delivery.

He expressed gratitude to the government, including the Office of the Senior Presidential Advisor, for the presentation of the equipment.