The Member of Parliament for North Tongu and Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has indicated that the Minority in Parliament will push for a review of the new passport application fees.
He described as “draconian” the new fees implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs effective today, April 1, 2024.
In a Facebook post, the lawmaker said the new fee was a burden on the already overburdened Ghanaian. He also revealed that they advised against the drastic hike at the committee level.
“I am terribly disappointed in Ghana’s Foreign Ministry for the astronomical increases in passport application fees.”
“As my NDC colleagues and I always maintained at the Foreign Affairs Committee, the current economic crisis and unprecedented high cost of living make it untenable to impose these draconian fees,” he stated.
“We insisted at the Committee that the worst-case scenario could be a graduated approach when economic conditions improve, but alas, they ignored our advice and have gone ahead to impose these insensitive rates in one fell swoop.”
“The Ministry should reconsider this inimical action immediately. We shall surely revisit this matter when Parliament resumes from recess,” he concluded.
In December last year, Foreign Affairs Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey hinted of the intended price fee increment. She asked Parliament’s Committee on Subsidiary Legislation to allow the passport application fees to be increased to allow the ministry to reduce losses in printing passport booklets. Madam Ayorkor Botchwey said at the time that the $7.7 fee paid for a Ghanaian passport was the lowest in the West African sub-region.
