About 8,000 passports uncollected in Western Region

A total of about 8,000 printed passports remain uncollected at the Western Regional Passport Office as at May this year.

Mr Eric Nyarko, the Western Regional Passport Manager, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in an interview, said though some applicants visited the Office to collect their passports daily, a lot more had piled up yet to be claimed.

He said: “What is contributing to this is that some people feel they only need the passports when they have a connection to travel and once that becomes unsuccessful, they do not feel the need to collect the passports.”

He continued: “More often, we call or send notice of collection through SMS and other means possible, but some just feel relaxed to come for their passports due to reasons best known to them.”

Mr Nyarko noted that the Office was making conscious efforts to change that perception through public education and sensitisation programmes to help clear the backlog.

“We have had numerous media sensitisation campaigns to educate the people about the need to show up to the Passport Office and collect their passports so that the work will be much easier for all of us,” he added.

The Regional Passport Manager, therefore, entreated applicants to yet to collect their passports to visit the Office and claim them.

Source: GNA