Foreign Affairs Ministry takes further steps to stop corruption at passport office

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has taken further actions to stop corruption in the process of acquiring a passport.

The Ministry has released contact links to enable applicants to report any conduct of extortion for actions to be taken.

They are: Email: ipab@mfa.gov.gh

024-091-3284, 024-079-3072, 020-455-2056, 020-455-2750, 026-804-9031, 026-979-4871.

This comes after the sector Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey sacked some officers at the passport office for aiding middlemen (Goro boys) to charge between GHS2000 and GHS3000 for passports.

She noted that the issue of ‘Goro boys’ in the passport acquisition process has become rife as reported in the media.

To that end, she embarked on an unannounced visit to the passport office in Accra on Monday, August 14.

After the visit, she told the press that “This particular visit has become very necessary because of some reports that I have. Reports that officers …are involved in illegal activities.

“When I say illegal activities we all know. Just two days ago the reports in the Daily Guide newspaper that the issue of goro people involved in our passport acquisition process has become rife.

“It is wrong. How can One Hundred Ghana Cedis for standard service to acquire a passport and One Hundred and Fifty Cedis for expedited service be bumped up to GHS2000 and GHS3000, it is wrong.

“The goro boys are outside the passport office, they need somebody inside to work with, they cannot do it on their own. People are paying GHS2000, or GHS3000 to acquire a passport? Why should this be so?”