This is how the Minister-Designate for Foreign Affairs plans to modernise Ghana’s passport acquisition process

The Minister-Designate for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has outlined plans to modernise the passport acquisition process in Ghana.

"There are too many complaints about how difficult it is to get passports and to get them in good time. I have been going through some briefs and I have noticed that we have a backlog of over 70,000 passports that have not been collected," he stated.

He proposed that Ghana Card holders should be able to apply for passports without having to visit a passport application centre physically.

"You do not have to go to the passport application centre if you have a Ghana Card. We should be able to interface, sit at your home and apply for your passport," he added.

Mr. Ablakwa also stressed the need to eliminate the requirement for applicants to return to the passport office to collect their passports, proposing that courier services be engaged to deliver passports directly to applicants' homes or offices.

He highlighted the importance of these digital reforms, especially as Ghana transitions from its current biometric passport system to a new chip-embedded system.

Mr. Ablakwa made these remarks when asked about his priority areas for the ministry during his vetting by the Appointments Committee in Parliament.