Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has announced a special bonus for staff of the Passport Administration following favourable findings in a Ghana Statistical Service survey.
The announcement was made after Ablakwa visited the Passport head office on Saturday to commend management and staff for the institution’s performance.
According to the minister, the GSS report identified the Passport Administration as one of the public institutions that has recorded significant transformation and ranks among the least corrupt.
Ablakwa said the government would reward staff next week for what he described as their impressive output.
“I announced that all passport administration staff will receive a special bonus next week for their impressive output as highlighted by the GSS survey,” he said.
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He attributed the recognition to reforms introduced to make passport services faster, more secure and accessible.
The minister said the administration had cleared its application backlog after moving to 24-hour operations, with passports now processed within a few working days in many cases.
He said processing times had fallen to below 15 days in many cases and that applicants no longer needed intermediaries to facilitate their applications.
The government has also reduced passport fees by 30%, while courier services have been introduced to enable applicants to receive their passports without additional charges, according to Ablakwa.
He said same-day processing is also available under the reforms, alongside a digital tracking platform that enables applicants to follow the progress of their applications.
Ablakwa said security measures had been strengthened to stop foreigners from unlawfully obtaining Ghanaian passports.
He further pointed to the establishment of passport application centres in all 16 regions as another major change introduced under the reforms.
The minister said Ghana’s chip-embedded passport has also been upgraded, describing it as one of the most secure and advanced passports globally.
He said the government would continue with reforms aimed at improving integrity, professionalism, innovation and customer satisfaction within the Passport Administration.
