Editorial: Passport acquisition now accessible countrywide

Passport application, though a right entitled to every Ghanaian, has become an avenue for corruption – particularly those granting the booklet due to the centralised nature of its acquisition.

It in view of this that the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has announced all regions in Ghana without a passport application centre will have one operational by December 2025.

There are still seven regions without passport application centres and the move forms part of a broader initiative to decentralise passport services and enhance accessibility nationwide.

Mr. Ablakwa also noted that ongoing reforms within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have significantly improved the passport acquisition process. Applicants are now receiving their passports in record time through courier services, eliminating the need for long and stressful trips to collection centres.

Acquiring or even renewing passports in the country is often a headache for many, giving rise to the phenomenon of ‘agents’ who inflate the standard price for expediency. Indeed, it is an illegal network that is an open secret.

Therefore, attempts to decentralise its acquisition should reduce the incidence of corruption and is a welcome development.

In a related development, the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Ghana, Ambassador Mohammed Lawan Gana, has disclosed that ECOWAS is intensifying diplomatic efforts to ensure that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger cooperate on regional integration issues with the bloc.

The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) formation by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger  presents ECOWAS with a rival structure that pursues different geopolitical priorities and external partnerships.

ECOWAS’s decision to sustain engagement rather than sever ties reflects a pragmatic diplomatic strategy.

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