Ghana’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has announced that the government is set to establish passport application centers in six regions currently lacking such facilities, including the Western North Region, as part of a broader effort to decentralize passport services and ensure nationwide accessibility.
This update was given during a parliamentary session on Wednesday, June 18, in response to a question posed by Mr. Frederick Addy, the Member of Parliament for Suaman Dadieso Constituency.
MP Mr. Addy inquired about the timeline for setting up passport offices, especially in the Western North Region, one of the six recently created regions without a passport application center.
Minister Mr. Ablakwa confirmed that the government is committed to addressing this service gap.
“As part of our efforts to decentralize passport delivery and ensure equitable access to passport services, the ministry plans to establish passport application centers in the six newly created regions that do not currently have them — namely Savannah, Bono East, Ahafo, Oti, Western North, and North -East Regions,” he stated.
Phased Approach Due to Budget Constraints
Due to current funding limitations, the ministry has adopted a phased implementation plan. In the first phase, temporary passport offices will be set up in these regions.
These interim facilities will be rolled out through collaboration with the respective Regional Coordinating Councils.
“We have adopted this phased strategy because we do not yet have the funding for permanent structures.
The first phase involves setting up temporary offices, including one in the Upper East Region’s Bolgatanga, which despite earlier efforts, still lacks a functioning passport center,” Ablakwa explained.
The Minister emphasized that these temporary centers would be fully functional and serve as the foundation for eventual permanent structures once funding becomes available.
Hope for 2026 Budget Support
Minister Mr. Ablakwa expressed optimism that the Ministry of Finance will allocate sufficient funds in the upcoming 2026 national budget to enable the establishment of dedicated, permanent passport application centers across all 16 regions.
“In the 2026 budget, we hope to receive favorable approval from the Ministry of Finance so we can transition into stand-alone, permanent passport offices,” he noted.
Despite the financial limitations, the Minister gave a firm assurance that by the end of 2025, all 16 regions will have access to at least temporary passport application centers, ensuring Ghanaians no longer need to travel long distances to major cities for passport services.
“We are determined that the people of the Western North, Upper East, and all underserved regions will no longer endure long travels and delays just to access passport services,” he concluded.
Implications for Regional Development
The decentralization of passport services is expected to significantly ease the burden on citizens, boost local administration capacity, and potentially stimulate regional economic activities related to travel and documentation services. MPs and local leaders across the six regions have long advocated for this inclusion, citing inconvenience, increased travel costs, and the bottlenecks faced by their constituents in accessing passport services.
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