According to recent reports, Ghanaians may soon be required to pay GH¢644 for a valid passport.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has submitted a proposal to parliament to revise the current passport application fees from GH¢100 to GH¢644.
This proposal, which represents a significant increase of 544%, is currently under review by the Committee on Subsidiary Legislation of Parliament.
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the sector minister, has stated that this adjustment is necessary to prevent the ministry from incurring losses in the printing of passport booklets for citizens.
Speaking on the floor of parliament on December 14, 2023, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said, “Ghanaians pay just about GH¢100 for a passport yet to produce one passport booklet it costs GH¢400 which means that for every passport that an applicant acquires, the government has to put in GH¢300 and this is not sustainable.”
“So, if you are going to travel or you intend to travel and you cannot pay GH¢400 then it is unfortunate because even tickets are now expensive.” the minister added.
She contended that the review is a result of financial limitations within the Ghanaian economy, compelling the ministry to implement these measures as the State can no longer afford to subsidize the expenses associated with printing passports.
According to a Bloomberg report, Ghana’s economy experienced its slowest growth in nearly a year during the second quarter.
The country’s gross domestic product expanded by 3.2% from the previous year, which was slightly lower than the estimated 3.3% growth predicted by economists surveyed by Bloomberg. This sluggish growth can be attributed to fiscal tightening measures and high inflation, which have hurt output. Government Statistician Samuel Kobina Annim shared these findings during a press conference in Accra, the capital city of Ghana.
