Passport Reforms, Migration c’ttees inaugurated

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has inaugurated two committees tasked to reform Ghana’s Passport Office and improve the welfare of Ghanaians in the diaspora.

The Passport Reforms Committee will, among others, help to improve the efficiency of passport delivery, eliminate middlemen (Goro boys), ensure 24-hour passport processing and ensure passport delivery to the doorstep of applicants.

The Migration and Welfare of Ghanaians in the Diaspora Committee will also ensure data registry and mapping processes, seek consular support, sign memoranda of understanding and help to safeguard the well-being of Ghanaians seeking greener pastures to end their exploitation in the receiving countries.

Passion

Speaking with the staff on his first day at work at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Mr Ablakwa said, “These are two committees I am passionate about and I will want us to hit the ground with them.”

“We will be giving them the mandate to report so that we can immediately roll out the interventions that we all want to see,” he said.

The meeting allowed the new minister to interact with the staff of the ministry and share the government’s policy direction and his vision on how to transform the ministry in line with the government’s agenda.

He also shared with the staff of foreign service some ways he would want to enhance their welfare to incentivise them to give their best.

Concerns of Ghanaians

The minister said there was a great deal of concern by Ghanaians for urgent work to be done to enhance the convenience of passport processing, acquisition and renewal.

To achieve that, he said there was the need for the Passport Office to “go full digitalisation” to make it possible for courier services to submit passports to people.

“We should not have a situation where thousands of passports remain uncollected and cut down the inconveniences,” he said.

The Chief Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ramses Joseph Cleland, told the staff that Mr Ablakwa was bringing a wealth of experience, fresh perspectives and a deep commitment to the ministry’s collective success.

He, therefore, urged the staff to be proactive, communicate honestly and work assiduously. We must demonstrate that we can work as a team to achieve greater things,” he said.