{"id":2190,"date":"2025-06-19T11:22:22","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T11:22:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parliamentnews360.com\/?p=2190"},"modified":"2025-06-19T11:22:50","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T11:22:50","slug":"passport-fee-reduction-still-a-pledge-mp-boamah-challenges-ministers-claims-in-parliament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parliamentnews360.com\/index.php\/passport-fee-reduction-still-a-pledge-mp-boamah-challenges-ministers-claims-in-parliament\/","title":{"rendered":"Passport Fee Reduction Still a Pledge \u2013 MP Boamah Challenges Minister\u2019s Claims in Parliament"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Accra, June 18, 2025<\/em> \u2013 The Member of Parliament for the Okaikwei Central Constituency, Hon. Patrick Yaw Boamah, has questioned the narrative surrounding the reduction of passport fees in Ghana, insisting that the Minister for Foreign Affairs did not have the authority to implement such a move unilaterally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to members of the Parliamentary Press Corps after the Foreign Minister, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, appeared before the House to respond to urgent questions and provide updates on the Washington D.C. Mission scandal, Hon. Boamah said the Minister\u2019s responses had only confirmed what the Minority had previously asserted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI said the other time that the Minister did not have the authorization to unilaterally reduce passport prices. From the answers he gave today, it confirms that passport prices have not been reduced,\u201d Hon. Boamah stated. \u201cHe is now going to come to Parliament in August when the Finance Minister presents the new fees and charges legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He emphasized that the impression created earlier\u2014that passport fees had already been reduced\u2014was misleading. \u201cIt still remains a pledge of the government, not an implemented policy. We must make it clear to the Ghanaian public not to be carried away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the MP, any decision to reduce or increase passport fees must be backed by legislation and fall within the government\u2019s overall revenue projections as determined by the Finance Minister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGhanaians are patiently waiting,\u201d he added. \u201cWe all hope for life and good health by August so we can see whether the Minister will follow through.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minority Endorses Anti-Corruption Moves but Seeks Clarity on Recruitment Timeline<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hon. Boamah also weighed in on the ongoing investigations into the multi-million-dollar corruption scandal at the Ghana Embassy in Washington, D.C., where a locally recruited staff member, Fred Kwarteng, allegedly ran an unauthorized enterprise for visa and passport services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While acknowledging that the investigations were ongoing, he noted that the Minority supports efforts to weed out corruption within Ghana\u2019s foreign missions. However, he clarified misconceptions surrounding the staff recruitment timeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur ranking member put it on record that the said individual had engagements with the embassy as far back as 2013, not just during the NPP administration,\u201d he pointed out, adding that while political affiliation should not shield wrongdoers, context matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe support the Minister\u2019s approach to get rid of any miscreants within our missions abroad. That, we support,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Clement Akoloh||parliamentnews360.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Member of Parliament for the Okaikwei Central Constituency, Hon. Patrick Yaw Boamah, has questioned the narrative surrounding the reduction of passport fees in Ghana, insisting that the Minister for Foreign Affairs did not have the authority to implement such a move unilaterally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[1303,1298,1295,1302],"class_list":{"0":"post-2190","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-news","8":"tag-hon-patrick-yaw-boamah-2","9":"tag-hon-samuel-okudzeto-ablakwa-2","10":"tag-okaikwei-central-mp","11":"tag-passport-fees"},"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n