Parliament: Majority backs government's decision to increase passport fees

The majority in Parliament has come out in support of the recent government move to increase passport application fees, citing concerns about the equitable distribution of costs among citizens.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration announced the fee hike, effective April 1, a decision that has faced considerable backlash from the public.

Addressing journalists in Accra on Wednesday, Mr. Andy Appiah Kubi, MP for Asante Akim North, argued that subsidizing passport fees by 400 Ghana Cedis only benefits a minority of Ghanaians who require passports for travel. He emphasized that passports should be viewed as a privilege rather than a basic need or right.

Mr. Kubi pointed out that only about 20% of Ghanaians need passports for international travel. Comparatively, he noted that passport fees in Ghana are among the cheapest in the subregion, citing the higher costs in countries like Liberia.

He questioned the fairness of burdening the majority (80%) of citizens with the cost of passports used by a minority (20%) for their travel purposes.

“We agree that it is only about 20% of Ghanaians that need passports to travel out of the country. And therefore, looking at it from that context, the passports then become a privilege, not a right or need. So, if it is a privilege, who should bear the cost of passports? To be honest with you, within the subregion, passports in Ghana are the cheapest and indeed it is incomparable with anywhere else,” he said.

“The most immediate cost element is from Liberia, and they are charging GH499.50, which is the equivalent of $50 for passports that span for five years…Indeed how fair will it be for only 20% of us to surcharge all of us, the 80% for what they want for their purpose of travelling? It is not fair”.