- Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the minister of foreign affairs and regional integration, has raised alarm about the ongoing extortion and corruption inside the Ghanaian Passport Office. After visiting the workplace, Botchwey expressed her shock at the unfair procedures that employees there are subjecting applicants to. According to a UNODC study from 2021, 29% of passport authorities were taking bribes at an average of GHS392 apiece. Despite the office’s crucial role in facilitating overseas travel, the Minister bemoaned the circumstance.
- Employees who have been seconded to the Passport Office have been instructed by the Minister not to report for work beginning on August 21, 2023. She emphasized in an interview that a thorough investigation had been started to solve the issue, and that it had shown the presence of a network working in concert with employees at the Passport Office. Botchwey highlighted the fact that many instances of misconduct involve public workers and voiced her dismay at the widespread assumption that corruption only affects politicians and her ministry.
- The Minister said that certain public workers have interfered with efforts to use digitalization to improve Passport Office operations by abusing the online application process for their own advantage. Additional departments at the Passport Office will go out of business when the Ghana card is eventually issued to all people, leaving just the crucial printing division.
- Botchwey commanded the Passport Office personnel to keep professional decorum, follow high standards of craftsmanship, and treat applicants with appropriate respect. He also asked them to refrain from engaging in extortionate activities.
