On August 16, 2023, The Chronicle reported that the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, had visited the Passport Office in Accra to express her misgivings about alleged corruption going on there. Some staff were allegedly collecting unapproved fees of GH¢2,000.00 and GH¢3,000.00 respectively from applicants, as against the approved fee of GH¢100.00 for standard and GH¢150.00 for expedited services.
According to our story, Madam Ayorkor Botchwey was infuriated over the exploitation, where these staff members were processing the acquisition of a Ghanaian passport to the highest bidder, as against the first come, first serve procedure.
The Foreign Minister then directed that all staff who had worked at the Passport Office for over a year should not return to the office the following week – Monday, August 21, 2023 – as new officers would replace them. “Anybody who has been here for more than a year, from Monday, please, do not come back because you have been changed…,” the Minister announced to the hearing of the staff.
During an interview with the media, a visibly enraged Madam Ayorkor Botchwey said she had commissioned an investigation into the case, and that heads would start rolling soon. The Chronicle commends the Minister for her reaction to the situation at the time, especially her promise to curb the suspected corruption at the place.
However, it has been about two months since the Minister assured Ghanaians about the impending investigation, but nothing has been heard from her again. In a corruption-related statement released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in partnership with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), the Passport Office came 4th on the ladder.
The Chronicle will, therefore, like to find out from the Minister the outcome of her investigation. We are interested in the outcome, because Madam Ayorkor Botchwey made the pledge in public.
The fact that the Minister drove to the Passport Office to protest, meant that she had received lots of complaints, which should form the basis for her investigation. Her speech should certainly not be a public relations gimmick, but a real pledge meant to achieve something.
Since a passport is a basic necessity Ghanaians should easily access, it becomes very worrying when some unscrupulous people try to fleece the applicants. The practice (extortion), in our opinion, can only be stopped when offenders are prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others. Until this is done, some of the workers, both at the regional and national headquarters, will still see the place as a gold mine.
The process of obtaining a passport in Ghana has always been complex, but the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, using technological advancements, has been able to move the process from manual to online.
The new online passport service has made the process cheaper, safer, and more secure. It will, therefore, be unconscionable if we allow staff of the Passport Office and ‘goro’ boys to still take advantage of the passport application services.
