Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Foreign Affairs Minister has slammed the passport office employees for allegedly indulging in fraudulent practices that have damaged the office’s credibility.

The passport workers and “goro boys and girls” routinely demand money from applicants in order to expedite their services, which infuriated the Minister. As stated by Madam Botchwey, the passport office personnel colludes with a cartel of “goro boys and girls” to rig the system.

She emphasized the necessity of cleaning the passport system and, as a result, dismissed the office’s staff members who have been there for over a year with effect from August 21. She bemoaned the accusations made against politicians, while some members of the public and civil workers had actually been involved in corrupt practices.

“I told my officers to put up an online system, now the online system is being manipulated so that people can make money off it. There are investigations going on, and some names have been mentioned. There’s a cartel of people who are working with people from inside. Anybody who has been here for more than one year, from Monday on, please do not come back because you have been changed. We want to bring some sanity. Every time, we say, politicians are corrupt, meanwhile, it is some public and civil servants who will do things that shouldn’t be done, and then they will put it on politicians. We are trying to bring sanity into the system but no.”
Shirley Ayorkor Botchway

Additionally, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey fired certain passport office employees for helping “Goro boys” charge between GHS2000 and GHS3000 for passports, while normal and expedited services ought to cost GHS100 and GHS150, respectively. She pointed out that, according to media reports, the problem of intermediaries (Goro boys and girls) in the passport application procedure had grown and entered the system.

“This particular visit has become very necessary because of some reports that I have. Reports that officers…are involved in illegal activities. When I say illegal activities, we all know. Just two days ago the reports in the Daily Guide newspaper that the issue of goro people involved in our passport acquisition process has become rife.
“It is wrong. How can One Hundred Ghana Cedis for standard service to acquire a passport and One Hundred and Fifty Cedis for expedited service be bumped up to GHS2000 and GHS3000? It is wrong. 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?”
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey

Decentralize Passport Acquisition Process To Tackle Goro Boys

John Dumelo, the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC’s) candidate for parliament in the general elections of 2024, has requested that the Ghanaian government decentralizes the procedure for obtaining passports.

In order to properly address the issue of intermediaries (Goro boys), he suggests the passports be printed in some Regional Capital.

John Dumelo said “It is quite frustrating, sometimes you have to pay, you have to make a call that before you acquire a passport. I feel it should not be like that.”

“Why not decentralize the application and acquisition process? Why don’t you print in Cape Caost, Kumasi and North, so that you don’t have to go through these process.”
John Dumelo