Ablakwa Announces Bonus for Passport Staff as GSS Ranks Service ‘Most Transformed, Least Corrupt’

Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has praised staff of the Passport Head Office for turning the service around, following a Ghana Statistical Service report that ranked it as the most transformed and least corrupt public institution.

During a working visit to the Passport Head Office on Friday, Mr. Ablakwa congratulated management and staff for the achievement.

He also announced that all passport administration staff will receive a special bonus next week in recognition of their impressive output as highlighted in the GSS survey.

“We shall continue with our radical reforms driven by integrity, professionalism, innovation, client satisfaction and excellence,” the Minister stated.

Mr. Ablakwa used the visit to highlight what he described as 10 exciting facts about Ghana’s “Remarkable Passport Reset.”

According to him, Ghana now has one of the most advanced and secured chip-embedded passports in the world. He added that Ghanaian passports are now considered among the most valuable on the continent with premium visa waiver status.

The Minister said all passport application backlogs have been cleared following the commencement of 24-hour operations, and that passports are now processed in a few working days, under 15 days, without the involvement of middlemen or “goro boys.” He also noted that processing fees have been reduced by 30% to make access more affordable.

Other reforms listed include the introduction of courier services for fast delivery at no extra cost, the availability of same-day passport processing, and the introduction of digital tracking.

Mr. Ablakwa further cited enhanced security protocols to prevent foreigners from illegally acquiring Ghanaian passports, and the establishment of Passport Application Centres in all 16 regions for the first time in Ghana’s history.

The Foreign Minister ended his post with the patriotic note: “For God and Country.”

The Ghana Statistical Service’s latest assessment forms part of ongoing government efforts to evaluate public sector performance and service delivery across ministries and agencies.

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