Majority justifies 400% increment in passport fees

The Majority in Parliament has mounted a spirited defence for the government over the 400% increment in the fees for acquiring passports.

According to the NPP MPs, the subsidiary legislation committee of Parliament had to beat down the 700 cedis proposed by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

A section of the public kicked against the increments, which has now seen the cost of a regular passport jump from 100 to 500 cedis.

However, addressing the media in Parliament, Andy Appiah-Kubi, chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, said the increment had become necessary to remove the 400 cedis government subsidy per passport.

The Asante Akim North MP questioned the basis for the rejection of the revision of the fees by North Tongu MP and ranking member for the Committee on Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, indicating the LI was passed by consensus when it came to the plenary.

Meanwhile, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Shirley Ayorkor Botwe has justified the four hundred per cent increment, citing the need to improve the processes of passport acquisition for Ghanaians.

According to the minister, the cost of acquiring a passport in Ghana is one of the lowest in the West African region.

Before the increment from one hundred cedis to five hundred cedis, the minister revealed that the state absorbs three hundred cedis on each passport application, a situation she says cannot continue.

Speaking to GHOne News, the minister stated that “the one hundred cedis charged is not sustainable as it is even affecting our operations. It is difficult to provide any service to Ghanaians at that cost. Today, as we speak, we have the national identification card, which is working very well. The passport is no longer the primary mode of identification.”

Reacting to the concerns being raised by some Ghanaians regarding the high cost of the fees, Foreign Affairs Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botwe urged persons who do not have an immediate need for passports not to go for them now.

“I am asking humbly Ghanaians, if you don’t have a need for a passport and you cannot afford it please don’t go for a passport as it is no longer the primary source of identification. The Ghana card is. We need to ensure that we improve our services which is why Parliament agreed to the increment of fees. It is not to impose financial burden on Ghanaians.”