The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration will open a Passport Application Centre (PAC) in Bolgatanga in October as part of a wider expansion programme that will see seven new centres established this year across all six newly created regions.

Speaking at a press briefing dubbed: Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday [Sept 15, 2025], the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the initiative would help ease years of difficulty for applicants in underserved areas who have had to travel long distances to access passport services.

“I know our compatriots in the Upper East have been agitating for this, and I am glad that next month your suffering will be over. We apologise to you for all the stress and the hassle, but the wait is over. Next month, I will personally be in Bolga to open this new PAC,” Mr Ablakwa said.

He explained that the Bolgatanga facility forms part of wider reforms in passport administration, including 24-hour passport operations, a home delivery service, and the planned introduction of same-day issuance for applicants facing emergencies or business travel needs.

“As these new fees and charges take effect, you will be able to obtain a passport in a day without going through a middleman or a goro boy, as they are infamously called,” he stated.

Mr Ablakwa disclosed that as of September 10, 2025, the ministry had printed 161,824 chip-embedded passports, with 122,895 already delivered.

He said the backlog of more than 70,000 applications had been cleared.

“We dare say that the era of passport backlogs and exploitation by goro boys is gone for good,” he declared.

The minister added that the seven new PACs will all be opened before the end of the year, with Bolgatanga scheduled for October and the others to follow in the six new regions.