The government is set to recruit 100 additional staff for various passport centres across the country to support the implementation of the 24-hour passport application service, which is expected to roll out this year.

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa made this known during a working visit to some passport centres following his assumption of office.

Speaking to the media on February 19 at the Passport Headquarters in Accra, the Minister announced that provisions for the new staff are being made in the 2025 budget, which is scheduled to be presented to Parliament by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson on March 11.

“We are making provision in our budget for 2025 to recruit more staff. We anticipate that we may need about 100 more. That is what our director of passport, based on their analysis, has recommended. When you cut down the waiting time from three, four, five weeks to less than a week—once you do a 24-hour shift—it should be easy to meet those targets,” he stated.

Currently, the Ghana Passport Office is reported to have around 300 staff members. The planned recruitment of 100 more personnel aims to reduce waiting times, expedite passport delivery, and support the government’s flagship 24-hour economy initiative as part of its reset agenda.

Mr. Ablakwa urged passport office staff to prepare for extended working hours, including day, night, and dawn shifts, in alignment with the government’s 24-hour economy strategy.

“You have also heard about the major reforms we want to implement. We want the Passport Administration in our country to become a 24-hour operation. This year [2025], you need to get ready. We’re going to run three shifts. We want to cut down the waiting time for passports,” he emphasized.

The Minister further reiterated that a key objective of the reform is to ensure that applicants receive their passports within a week of application.

“We believe that within a week, it should be possible to get a Ghanaian passport when you apply for it. The 24-hour economy intervention we’re introducing will address that,” he added.

Additionally, Mr. Ablakwa disclosed plans to introduce chip-embedded passports and integrate passport data with the National Identification Authority (NIA) system to streamline applicant verification.

As part of efforts to modernize the Foreign Affairs Ministry, he also revealed plans to revise passport fees—reducing costs for ordinary applicants while increasing charges for premium services.