Ghana to operationalise Biometric data passports by April 2010

Accra, Dec. 14, GNA - Ghana in compliance with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICA) would introduce the use of readable passports with biometric data by April 2010.

This means that passport applicants would have to present themselves personally at the passport application centres for their biometric data to be captured.

Applicants would also be made to take fresh photographs with their fingerprints at the application centres to eliminate impersonation and other related malpractices that had bedevilled the sector over the years.

Alhaji Mohammad Mumuni, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration disclosed this when Mr. Justice Joe Appiah, Member of Parliament for Ablekuma North wanted to know when the Ministry would operationalise and decentralise the issuance of Ghanaian passports and eliminate the activities of 'middlemen'.

He said new application forms had been designed to be sold at designated banks where applicants would make only onetime payment for both the form and the subsequent processing.

Alhaji Mumuni said initially, there would be only seven application centres in Accra, Tamale, Ho, Sekondi/Takoradi, Kumasi, Sunyani and the National passport Office, where birth certificates, National Identification cards as well as other documentations would be vetted and scanned in the system the same day.

He said at each stage, details would be vetted against the stop list and then passed on to the directors for final vetting, and authorisation.

The Foreign Minister said the innovation was geared towards the elimination of fraud, middlemen and other related malpractices that had over the years compelled applicants to pay more than the stipulated fees.

GNA