The Member of Parliament for Asante-Akim North Constituency and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Hon Andy Appiah-Kubi, has dispelled claims that the review of the Fees and Charges Regulation L.I. 2481 for passport acquisition in the country was done without recourse to parliament.
According to him, the proposal by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration received a unanimous approval at the Committee level.
He stated that the Legislation Committee, chaired by the National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga East, Dominic Ayine scrutinized the proposal and not the Foreign Affairs Committee.
That notwithstanding, he said the report of the Committee was approved by the plenary subsequently.
“For anyone to step out to say that they vehemently oppose the review of the fee is neither here nor there. The person who is throwing those tantrums is not a member of that committee and indeed it was not the work of the Foreign Affairs Committee which I chair and which he is a Ranking Member.
“This is the work of the subsidiary committee and chaired by the NDC Member of Parliament. It never occurred in the Committee that there was protestation over the recommendation for review. It was a unanimous decision taken by the Committee so we brought our report to the House {and] the report was adopted by the plenary.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a notice on April 1, 2024, announced an upward adjustment in fees for all their services, including passport application.
This reflected on the Ministry’s passport application website on the same day with the 48-page expedited application which was GHC200 now going for GHc800, while a 32-page expedited application which was GHC150 now going for Ghc700.
Additionally, the 32-page standard application which was GHC100 is now Ghc500 with the formerly GHC150 for a 48-page standard application now GHc644.
The over 500% increment was described as insensitive and draconian by the Member of Parliament for the North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa who argued the review was done without recourse to Parliament.
Defending the new fees, Hon Appiah Kubi said the document is a privilege and no longer a necessity for citizens thereby the elimination of the subsidy.
“Because the cost was for identification, government has had to subsidize passports which have a cost element of ¢400 by ¢300. We realised that this subsidy is from the coffers of Ghana as a country and indeed it is our own money and all of us contribute to that. How fair would it be for only 20% of us to surcharge the 80% for that which they want for their purpose of travelling? It is not fair.”
Source: opemsuo