The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Samuel has officially opened a Passport Application Centre in the Upper East Regional capital, Bolgatanga. This forms part of governments efforts at decentralizing passport services and making it more accessible to Ghanaians.
In an address, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa indicated that the new facility underscores government’s commitment to enhancing public service delivery and promoting regional equity in accessing essential documents.
Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa noted that the struggles faced by the over 1.3 million people in the region regarding passport applications have come to an end. “No more to the inconvenience, no more to wasting resources, no more to the stress, and no more hassle just because you want to acquire a passport, which is your right as a Ghanaian. The acquisition of passports is not a privilege; every Ghanaian citizen is entitled to a passport, and we have to bring these services to the doorstep of all Ghanaians. And I am glad that today we are making that possible,” he emphasized.
“We are here to celebrate unity, we are here to celebrate togetherness, we are here to celebrate passion, concerted effort, taking no for an answer and deciding that an injustice which has existed for so many years, where the Upper East Region—a region that has 1.3 million Ghanaians residing here—meant that for passport acquisition, you had to travel long distances to Tamale, a three-hour journey. The risks involved, the resources consumed, and the inconveniences faced just for your biometrics to be taken in another region are now over,” he stated.
He also mentioned that there are currently seven regions in Ghana without passport application centers. With the commissioning of the Upper East Regional Passport Application Center, that number will reduce to six. He has tasked his management at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that by the end of December 2025, there will be no region in Ghana without a passport application center. He has already informed the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana, and he knows that the assurances committee, which he used to chair, is monitoring this progress.
“I assure the people of the Upper East Region that I am very confident. The government has put in the resources and effort, and I am very confident that by the end of this year, all 16 regions in Ghana will have passport application centers. As a social democratic government, we believe that development must be inclusive. It must reach every part of Ghana, and no part of our country must be left out in the forward march of our country,” he added.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr. Donatus Atanga Akamugri, expressed gratitude to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for his role in the realization of the Upper East Regional Passport Center, which will open the region to new economic frontiers and attract investment, commerce, and fast connectivity to the rest of the country and the world beyond.
“The demand for the airport in the region is strong, real, and the benefits are undeniable. As the NDC, a social democratic party and the government of the people, we cannot have a better legacy in the region than to see the full realization of this airport project. This will indeed affirm His Excellency John Dramani Mahama’s resetting agenda and the NDC vision of balanced regional development and integration,” Akamugri stated.
Story By: Gaspard Adongo
