The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has procured 20 pickup vehicles for Passport Application Centres across Ghana to improve staff mobility and strengthen the delivery of passport services.

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced the initiative during a working visit to the Ashanti Regional Passport Application Centre in Kumasi, where he assessed logistical challenges affecting operations.

He said the new vehicles would provide staff with the resources needed to perform their duties more efficiently, particularly when delivering mobile passport application services.

Mr Ablakwa explained that the Kumasi centre currently relies on a single vehicle, placing pressure on its operations. He said the centre would receive one of the newly acquired pickups, alongside allocations to the other regions and the ministry’s headquarters in Greater Accra.

The additional vehicle is expected to improve staff mobility and enable officers to respond more effectively to requests for mobile passport services.

The Minister also announced plans to renovate the Kumasi centre, with funding to be provided in the 2027 budget.

He expressed concern about the condition of some furniture and the facility’s general working environment, noting that improvements were necessary to support staff productivity and efficient service delivery.

He said renovation works at the Accra Passport Application Centre had been budgeted for in 2026 and completed, with Kumasi expected to benefit from a similar intervention next year.

The visit, his first to the Ashanti Regional Passport Application Centre since assuming office, was intended to provide first-hand information about the operational challenges facing staff, including the condition of vehicles, furniture and other equipment.