The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration plans to establish passport application centres in all 16 regions of Ghana by December 2025, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
Ablakwa disclosed that the government has committed to ensuring that every Ghanaian, regardless of location, has fair and easy access to passport services without the need to travel long distances.
He explained that the decentralisation project is part of efforts to make public services more accessible and efficient.
Currently, passport application centres are concentrated in a few regional capitals, compelling many applicants to travel across regions to acquire or renew their passports.
This situation, he said, has often caused undue delays, financial strain, and overcrowding at existing centres.”The Foreign Affairs Ministry has become very efficient, and Ghanaians are already confirming that now it is a smooth process. They are receiving their passports in record time and do not have to stress to pick them up at passport offices, because they are being delivered via courier services.
“But we still have seven regions without passport application centres. I am delighted to announce that by December, we will make sure every region without a passport application centre has one, starting with Bolgatanga this month,” Ablakwa emphasised.
The initiative is also expected to enhance revenue mobilisation and improve data collection on passport applications nationwide.
Stakeholders believe the move will help combat corruption and middleman activities (goro boys), which have long plagued the passport acquisition process. He further urged the government to match the establishment of centres with adequate staffing, digital infrastructure, and public sensitisation to ensure the system works efficiently.
He made this known during a ceremony to hand over diplomatic passports to five distinguished Ghanaians: travel vlogger Wode Maya, Grammy-nominated reggae artist Rocky Dawuni, broadcaster and entrepreneur Anita Erskine, contemporary visual artist Ibrahim Mahama, and British-Ghanaian entrepreneur Dentaa Amoateng MBE.
