By James Amoh Junior, GNA
Accra, May 10, GNA – Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister for Foreign Affairs, took to the streets of Accra, Friday, to personally deliver new chip-embedded passports to applicants.
The move, a historic shift in government service delivery, is expected to ease the stress of Ghanaians in acquiring passports.
The new delivery system comes as the Ministry dispatches over 5,000 passports nationwide this week via Ghana Post, building on the successful rollout of the advanced chip-embedded biometric passport.
The applicants recieved their passports barely two weeks after application.
This door-to-door delivery initiative, implemented in partnership with Ghana Post, forms part of sweeping reforms by the Passport Reforms Committee established by the Foreign Affairs Minister on his first day in office.
Clad in pristine white long-sleeve kaftan, the Minister surprised the applicants by arriving at their workplaces to hand-deliver their travel documents.
“I wanted to experience firsthand the joy of Ghanaians receiving this essential service without stress,” Mr Ablakwa said as he placed passports into the hands of grateful recipients.
The Minister revealed that his personal participation was meant to send a clear message that the era of frustrated citizens making endless trips to passport offices was over.
Among those who received their passports was Ms Doreen Klutse, a staff of the Ghana Library Authority, and Mr Abdul Razak Osmanu, a businessman and resident of Pig Farm in Accra.
Ms Klutse said: “I didn’t know my passport will be delivered to me personally. All I knew was that when your time is due, you will have to go to the application centre personally to claim it. But when I recieved a text and a call from Ghana Post, i was surprised.”
She further exclaimed: “Even more shocking was receiving my passport from the Foreign Minister as the first for delivery service initiative.”
GNA
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