Parliament argues that the increased passport charge represents actual expenses rather than corporate profit.
Dr. Andy Appiah-Kubi, the chairman of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, has clarified that the recently revised fees reflect the actual costs of the passport application process rather than being a way for the government to make money in response to public outcry over the recently revised cost of passport acquisition.
Speaking to the media in Accra, Dr. Appiah-Kubi clarified that the decision to raise the application fees for passports was motivated by the high costs of processing the documents, which included equipment costs, extra services, and the scarcity of service centers nationwide.
He emphasized that the action is a component of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ attempts to guarantee efficiency and transparency by streamlining and improving the passport application procedure.
In her explanation of the reasoning behind the fee adjustment, Dr. Appiah-Kubi said that it was a result of parliamentary debates in which legislators questioned the necessity of government funding for passport acquisition. The ministry consequently suggested a fee modification, which the Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament later examined and accepted.
He expressed optimism that the ministry would be able to purchase essential equipment and increase the effectiveness of passport processing with the introduction of the new cost. He also discussed the ministry’s intentions to open more application centers around the nation in an effort to lessen the difficulty and expense of traveling to the main passport office in Accra.
In response to the public’s worries, Dr. Appiah-Kubi expressed regret for any inconvenience the unexpected fee adjustments may have caused. But he emphasized how important the reforms were, pointing out how identification and citizenship verification were changing and how the Ghana Card became the main form of identification.
He also emphasized that Ghana’s passport acquisition costs are still comparatively inexpensive when compared to other West African subregional nations, with some charging much more for passports with shorter validity terms.
Dr. Appiah-Kubi concluded by reiterating that the fee modification was a cooperative choice that all committee members supported, with the goal of covering the true costs of passport production and improving the effectiveness of the passport acquisition procedure.