Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, has explained her decision to take action against certain passport officers who were found to be assisting intermediaries (commonly known as “Goro boys”) in charging exorbitant fees of GHS2000 to GHS3000 for passport acquisition, despite the official fees being GHS100 for standard service and GHS150 for expedited service.
The minister’s actions came after reports emerged about the prevalence of “Goro boys” in the passport acquisition process, leading to an increase in unauthorized fees being charged to individuals seeking passports. The minister conducted an unannounced visit to the passport office in Accra on August 14 to address the issue.
She expressed her concerns about the involvement of passport officers in illegal activities and emphasized that this practice was undermining the legitimate passport acquisition process. In her remarks to the press following the visit, Ayorkor Botchwey stated, “The goro boys are outside the passport office, they need somebody inside to work with, they cannot do it on their own. People are paying GHS2000 or GHS3000 to acquire a passport? Why should this be so?”
The minister’s actions reflect the government’s determination to address corruption and irregularities in the passport acquisition process, ensuring that citizens can obtain passports at the official and reasonable fees set by the authorities.