The former Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak, has expressed strong opposition to any proposed increase in passport application fees by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.

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In light of the rising costs of various essential commodities, particularly the escalating prices of internet data, Mr Mubarak believes that the timing is highly inappropriate for the ministry to consider raising passport fees.

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Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, November 28, Mubarak emphasized that the current economic climate, marked by the increasing expense of internet data, makes it insensitive to burden citizens with higher costs for passport applications. He pointed out that the initiation of passport applications is predominantly conducted online, and given the financial strain already felt by the public, an increment in passport fees would only exacerbate the situation.

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“It is not a good time to increase the prices of anything, data is becoming more expensive, and to apply for a passport you have to initiate it online. It will be a bit insensitive to increase the fees of acquiring passports at this moment,”

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, however, has indicated its intention to raise passport application fees.

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Deputy Minister Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong cited production costs and the comparative affordability of Ghana's passport fees in relation to other countries in the sub-region as the driving factors behind the proposed increment.

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During a press conference in Accra on the same day, Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong explained, "Liberia charges $50, we charge $8, meaning we have to subsidize every passport. So the money to buy the printers is used to subsidize the passports… And also, we are thinking of upgrading our passport from biometric to chip-embedded."

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He further justified the need for a fee increase, stating that the shift to chip-embedded passports would entail additional expenses. According to Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong, maintaining the current fee structure at $8 would perpetuate the challenges faced by the passport office, necessitating a revision to address operational and technological upgrades.

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“So the chip-embedded version is going to cost more. If we continue charging at $8, we will continue to face the problems that we are having at the passport office… So we have to raise the fees,” he said.

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