By Deborah Pofara Luu
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has announced plans to restructure Ghana’s passport fee system to ease the burden on students and vulnerable citizens. Speaking on The KeyPoints with on February 8, Ablakwa described the current passport fees as too high for many Ghanaians, especially students on government scholarships.
Ablakwa stated, “We need to overhaul the fee structure. Students on scholarships should not have to pay for passports. It should be worked into the scholarship package”.
The proposed restructuring would involve frequent travelers and business people paying higher fees for expedited services and larger booklets. This would then subsidize costs for low-income applicants.
According to Ablakwa, “We don’t want the passport office to make losses, but we can structure it so that the wealthy pay more for enhanced services, while students and vulnerable people benefit from reduced fees”.
