Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, has announced that preparations are in the works to upgrade Ghana’s biometric passports to chip-embedded passports with better security features.
She claims that this will make it easier for Ghanaians to travel to other nations while still adhering to international norms.
She was giving the third SRC lecture to law students at GIMPA during their 62nd academic law week celebration.
The Foreign Affairs Minister, speaking on the theme of ‘Diplomacy and Public Service,’ said Ghana now has 13 passport application centers.
She stated that plans are in the works to build application centers in all regional capitals to allow Ghanaians obtain passports from Accra in less time.
“Passports, visas, dual citizenship processing, and other travel papers are issued in our missions to enable our compatriots to chase their ambitions, improve their well-being, and, as a result, contribute to national progress.”
“Our workers at our missions abroad also provide welfare services to our compatriots in order to ensure that they are not exploited while in foreign places,” she added.
The Foreign Affairs Minister intimated that by the end of the year, steps would be underway to transition from visa stickers to E-Visa.
All of this, she said, is being done to strengthen Ghana’s international image by building critical ties with other countries.
She encouraged law students to pursue a specialization in International Law and Treaties, which would allow them to represent Ghana in international tribunals and treaty organizations.
Students were also encouraged to study new languages such as French, Chinese, and other international languages, which would allow them to work with international organizations more effectively.
“There are so many job opportunities within the ECOWAS area and other international entities,” she said, “but Ghanaians are unable to apply because of a language barrier, and we need to bridge that gap by learning other languages as a second language in addition to English.”
Source: adomonline.com
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