President of Foundation for Generational Thinkers (FOGET), Prosper Afetsi, has bemoaned the country’s porous security system which is affecting passport acquisition.
This, he said was as a result continuous interference of the process by middlemen and foreigners making it easier for the latter to acquire Ghanaian passport compared to indigenes.
In a statement released to the press, Mr. Afetsi identified that the issuance and acquisition of nationality documentations in Ghana have become so easy that other Africans arrested outside Ghana are in possession of these vital national security documents.
“The inability of our system to properly document citizens from birth to death has therefore made it possible for non-citizens to acquire such documents with the collusion of employees of these national agencies – Passport Office, Births and Deaths Registry and a host of others mandated to protect the security of the state,” he said.
“In view of that, acquiring birth certificate in Ghana has become very cumbersome and a ‘gold mine’ where some registrars now cash in from applicants,” he added.
He thus called for the introduction of what he called the creation of automatic social security number for citizens right from birth to sanitise the system.
Ideally, charges for applying for passport are pegged between GH¢50 to GH¢100 for normal and express applications but they are hiked to between GH¢500 to GH¢1,000 due to the interference of middle men.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration recently, announced the removal of all impediments that hamper passport acquisition, yet some applicants say the Ministry’s claims do not reflect the true picture on the ground.
Another outfit where the FOGET president identified as frustrating applicants is the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
“It seems everything about Ghana is becoming more frustrating if one wants to do the right thing, without cutting corners,” he observed.
Touching on the government’s effort to rebrand the national identification authority (NIA), Mr. Afeti called for the centralization of national IDs.
He however, cautioned “stringent steps must be put in place to prevent non-Ghanaians having access to the national identity card or GhanaCard.”
“Proof of nationality should not just be by word of mouth but through scientific and systemic methods to eliminate non-Ghanaians’ names appearing on our nominal roll,” he added.
He continued, “FOGET is therefore using this opportunity to urge government to fast track the issuance of the GhanaCard with enhanced security features to ensure that each and every citizen is protected.
“We believe this is not too much a task for a government that is desirous of building a digital economy.”
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
