Ministry to introduce biometric passports soon

Page 25: Daily Graphic, August 5, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration will soon announce a new timetable for the introduction of biometric passports in Ghana.
It said initial plans to introduce them on July 7, this year were aborted as a result of the challenges encountered with the process.
The sector Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, who announced this when he took his turn at the “Meet-the-Press” series in Accra yesterday, gave the assurance that Ghana would beat the 2010 deadline set by the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) for countries to use biometric passports.
A biometric passport is a combined paper and electronic identity document that uses biometrics to authenticate the identity of travellers.
The minister explained that apart from conforming with the rest of the world, biometric passports would also help to deal with the problem of non-Ghanaians accessing Ghanaian passports and also the forgery and fraud associated with the current system.
Alhaji Mumuni said two initiatives by the previous administration to introduce biometric passports and an e-passport were stalled but said the present administration had decided to reactivate a contract signed between the past government and the Buck Press to make sure that things were done quickly to beat the deadline.
He said the Passport Office faced a series of challenges, including inadequate computers and working accoutrements to facilitate easy processing and keeping of documents.
On when Ghana expected the United Nations to decide on its request for a claim to the extended continental shelf, which will see the expansion of Ghana’s exclusive economic zone, Alhaji Mumuni said Ghana could not put a time frame on its request but had to wait till the UN decided.
On whether Ghana would effect the arrest of Omar Al-Bashir, the Sudanese Leader, should he arrive in the country today in response to the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), the minister answered in the negative.
He said although Ghana was a signatory to the Rome Statutory establishing the ICC, it would not turn its back on the African Union (AU) which decided that it could not arrest the Sudanese leader.
He explained that such a position did not, however, mean that Ghana did not accept the authority of the ICC, except that it had to go by the decision of the AU.
Alhaji Mumuni said the pursuit of peace and security would continue to be given high priority in the conduct of Ghana’s foreign policy as they were essential for growth and prosperity.
He said the government recognised the contribution of Ghanaians abroad to the national economy and would, therefore, facilitate and encourage them for purposes of supporting monetary stability and engendering economic growth.
He, however, appealed to Ghanaians seeking to travel abroad to acquire the requisite entry permits and visas of destination countries before embarking on their trips.
He said Ghana had had to receive deportations from countries such as the US, the UK, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Algeria, Morocco and Libya, from where recently 540 Ghanaians were deported.
The minister expressed worry over the challenges facing Ghana’s missions abroad, including office accommodation, which had resulted in threats of ejection of the missions in Dakar and Luanda.
He said within the constraints of the budget of the ministry, an average of $5 million was generated from consular fees and other charges.
Alhaji Mumuni pledged the commitment of the ministry to discharge its traditional duties effectively and efficiently towards projecting a positive image of the country abroad.