The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration is making a case for an upward adjustment of the fees for passport applications.

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong in a press briefing on Tuesday, November 28 argued that the cost of the travel document has been heavily subsidised by the government hence the inability of the passport office to invest in other areas of service delivery.

Currently, a citizen pays an average of $8 for an ordinary passport as compared to the second least paying country Liberia which pays an average cost of $40.

According to Ampratwum Sarpong, engagements will soon begin with Parliament to push for fees adjustment

“The Foreign Affairs Committee at the various meetings that we’ve had with them, have always urged us to try and do something about the price.

“We are in consultation with the various stakeholders and hopefully our next attempt is to engage with Parliament because we on our own, cannot increase passport fees, we will need the support of Parliament to make it happen,” he said.

Also, the activities of middlemen are known to be a contributory factor to the hurdles in acquiring a passport as many agents charge over 3,000 cedis for an ordinary passport.

On this issue, the Deputy Foreign Minister says a number of interventions have been put in place by the Ministry to check these illegal charges.

In a related development, the Foreign Affairs Ministry has announced a visa-free regime for all foreign nationals traveling into Ghana effective December 1, 2023.

In an interview with JoyNews' Blessed Sogah, Ampratwum Sarpong explained that the policy is in response to ‘December In Ghana”.

The December In Ghana programme was initiated by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and aimed at welcoming visitors who might be interested in making Ghana a holiday destination this Yuletide.

Within an estimated time - 60 minutes - any foreign national entering Ghana this December will be able to access their visa on arrival.

“Anybody who wants to come to Ghana can take advantage,” Ampratwum Sarpong intimated while explaining that “December of late, it's become a month of activity, big activity in the country and it's a month that a lot of our compatriots living outside the country take advantage to come in and enjoy the Christmas festivities.”