Plans Are Underway to Upgrade the Ghanaian Biometric Passports to Chip-Embedded Passports- Minister of Foreign Affairs
All You Need to Know About the Biometric Passport
If you want to travel to the US or any other European country, you not only need a visa but also a valid passport that proves your identity. Without one, you won’t be allowed to enter the country or cross the borders of most countries.
What Is a Biometric Passport?
The biometric passport, which is also called e-Passport or digital passport, is just like a traditional passport. But on top of the basic personal information, it also has an electronic microprocessor chip embedded, which contains the biometric information of the passport owner such as Fingerprints, Biometric photo.
The idea behind the biometric passport is to authenticate the identity of a person and thus, to improve the security of national borders.
Biometric passports are around since the late 1990s. As of June 2017, more than 120 countries worldwide are issuing these new digital passports instead of the traditional ones and Ghana wants to be part of those countries.
In the same perspective, while addressing law students at GIMPA during their 62th academic law week celebration and third SRC lecture, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, disclosed that plans are underway to upgrade the Ghanaian biometric passports to chip-embedded passports with enhanced security features.
She said this will allow Ghanaians to travel to other countries around the world with ease while meeting international standards.
Speaking on the theme, “Diplomacy and Public Service”, the Foreign Affairs Minister said Ghana currently has 13 passport application centres. She said preparations are ongoing to establish applications centres in all regional capitals to help reduce the travel time for Ghanaians as they seek to secure passports from Accra.
“In our missions, the issuance of passports, visas, processing of dual citizenship as well as other travel documents enable our compatriots to pursue their dreams, improve their well-being and by extension contribute to national development.”
She added; “Our staff at our missions abroad also offer welfare services to our compatriots to ensure that they are not taken undue advantage of, while they are in foreign lands.”
The students were also urged to learn new languages such as French, Chinese, and other international languages that will give them better opportunities to work with international bodies.
She noted; “There are so many employment opportunities within the ECOWAS region and other international bodies, but Ghanaians are unable to apply due to language barrier, and we need to bridge that gap by learning other languages as our second language aside the English language.”
By: Michael Djan
French Tutor and Digital Marketing Blogger/Content Writer and GhanaWeb Professional Reporter/ frencheducationgh.com