Ghana to reduce the cost of ordinary Passports from GH₵500 to GH₵350 | Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, has announced plans to urgently amend the Fees and Charges Act to lower the cost of the ordinary passport booklet from GH₵500 to GH₵350.
The price of this 32-page passport booklet was raised from GH₵100 to GH₵500 by the previous Akufo-Addo administration to accommodate printing expenses. At that time, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), then in opposition, criticized the increase as unreasonable and pledged to review the price if they gained power in the upcoming 2024 elections.
During a speech in Parliament on March 13, Ablakwa emphasized that this price reduction aims to alleviate financial pressure on Ghanaians and will not impose additional costs on the state.
He stated, “In our effort to make passports more accessible to all Ghanaians, and per instructions I have received from His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama, we are pleased to announce the reduction of the ordinary passport booklet from GH₵500 to GH₵350.”
Ablakwa indicated that his department will soon present the proposal to Parliament to secure the necessary legislative approval for this change. Additionally, he mentioned the intention to establish a committee to explore transitioning from the current passport booklet to chip-embedded versions, a process initiated by the prior administration.
Ghana to reduce the cost of ordinary Passports from GH₵500 to GH₵350 | AviationGhana
