THE MINISTER of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botwchey, has commissioned a new Passport Application Center (PAC) at Koforidua.
The Center is to serve passport applicants from the Eastern Region.
It is in also in fulfilment of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s promise to extend passport services to the doorstep of Ghanaians in all parts of the country.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony on Wednesday, May 22, 2019, the Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Minister said with the opening of the Center, residents in the Eastern Region would be spared the inconvenience of travelling to the Greater Accra or Volta regions to obtain passports.
She expressed confidence in the officers stationed in the Passport Application Center to deliver quality services to the public.
The Minister appealed to residents “to extend the needed cooperation to the staff who are stationed here.”
According to madam Ayorkor Botchwey, the Foreign Ministry was also taking steps to secure office spaces from the Regional Coordinating Councils in the Upper East, Upper West and Central regions.
She further added that the newly created regions will not be left out of the establishment of PACs in their respective capitals.
Caution
Meanwhile, the Minister cautioned the public to desist from engaging in fraudulent activities which undermine the integrity of the Ghanaian passport such as the use of forged documents in their applications.
According to her, such fraudulent activities were punishable by law and persons found engaging in such activities would be dealt with in accordance with the law.
Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfour, thanked the President and the Foreign Minister for making passport application easily accessible to residents in the region.
According to him, “we have a portion of our burden taken off.”
BY Melvin Tarlue