By Elizabeth PUNSU
The Minister for Foreign Affairs designate, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, has announced plans to implement major reforms in the passport acquisition process.
These reforms aim to curb the influence of ‘goro’ boys (middlemen), who often defraud unsuspecting Ghanaians, and to eliminate the unnecessary stress associated with acquiring passports.
During his vetting on Friday, Mr. Ablakwa outlined his proposed changes to the Foreign Affairs Ministry. He stated that he would collaborate with the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, to ensure that Ghanaians with a Ghana Card would no longer need to visit the passport office for biometric data collection.
“I have already started discussions with Honorable Sam George so that if you have a Ghana Card, you don’t need to go to a passport office. We should be able to interface,” he said.
He further emphasised his commitment to enhancing customer satisfaction by introducing a courier service to deliver passports to applicants, eliminating the need for individuals to return to the passport office for collection.
“It should be possible to sit at home and wait for your passport. The current process of going back to the passport office is outdated. We can engage courier services to deliver passports directly to applicants at their homes or offices. Modernising the system, including transitioning from biometric to chip-embedded passports, will be a priority,” Mr. Ablakwa explained.
Reforming Foreign Service
The Minister-designate also revealed plans to establish a new department within the ministry, dedicated solely to assessing the performance and efficiency of Ambassadors and High Commissioners.
Mr. Ablakwa stressed the need for the country to focus aggressively on economic diplomacy. To achieve this, Ambassadors and High Commissioners will be assigned clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and those who fail to meet their targets within a year will be reassigned.
“We can no longer rely on aid from other countries. It is time to aggressively pursue economic diplomacy. When we send you there as an ambassador, it’s not just for you to be attending events, you must bring us something home that will impact the lives of the people. How many investors are you bringing in, how many industries, all of that.
You ask yourself these 71 nations out there, what are they bringing in and that is why many people think foreign affairs is so abstract, what do we even get from foreign ministry, I am going to change that perception. Clear KPIs, you must bring something home. If within one year and we are not seeing benefits, you will be reshuffled so that we send in another person who will be more dynamic in our national interest” he cautioned.
