The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has announced the set up of a special passport Centre, exclusively for Hajj applicants.
Speaking at Hajj Village on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, Mr. Ablakwa revealed that this move is part of government’s efforts to ensure a smooth travel experiences for Muslims who intend to embark of the holy pilgrimage.
According to him, the government is not oblivious to the fact that many Muslims are being held back from taking this pilgrimage due to the complex processes to acquire travel documents.
To address this, Mr. Ablakwa says government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has set up the special Hajj Centre, to expedite processes.
The special passport centre will operate from Tuesday, March 4, to Thursday, March 14, 2025.
“We are not oblivious of the fact that for many, securing travel documents promptly has been a major challenge. To address this, our ministry has set up this special passport centre, operational from March 4 to March 13, 2025, exclusively to serve Hajj applicants,” he announced.
The minister also announced that in collaboration with the government, the ministry has reduced the cost of expedited passport processing from GHC 700 to GHC 500, and this passport will be processed within three days.
“In collaboration with the government, we are pleased to announce that the cost of expedited passport processing has been subsidized. Instead of the usual GHC 700, applicants will now pay GHC 500 for a 32-page passport, which will be processed within just three days,” he said.
Mr. Ablakwa also announced that the Ministry is also planning to set up kiosks at various regional application centres, so as to reach as many people in the country.
To extend this device to as many people as possible, we are also setting up dedicated kiosks at various regional passport application centers, ensuring that applicants outside Accra can also benefit from this initiative,” he revealed.
