In a move aimed at improving passport services, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has launched Ghana’s first-ever One-Day Expedited Passport Delivery Service.

The service offers applicants a full 24-hour turnaround for the processing and delivery of a standard, ICAO-compliant passport.

Applicants who opt for the expedited passport service will benefit from a streamlined application process, nationwide courier delivery, and an e-tracking system that enables real-time monitoring of their documents.

The Ministry has set the cost of the urgent service at GHS 2,000 but stressed that the standard application system remains unchanged. Applicants can still obtain a chip-embedded passport for GHS 350, with free courier delivery within 15 working days.

The expedited passport service is designed to support emergency and urgent travel situations, such as sudden business trips or family emergencies.

The new accelerated alternative is available to applicants via passport.mfa.gov.gh, the Ministry’s official web portal.

The President of the Awudome Traditional Council and Paramount Chief of the area, Togbe Addai Kwasi Dzani XIII, has appealed to chiefs and residents of the Awudome Traditional Area to embrace peace and unity as a foundation for accelerated development.

According to the Paramount Chief, prolonged chieftaincy disputes spanning more than six years have severely affected development in the area, stalling investment and slowing social progress in one of the largest traditional areas in the Volta Region. He stressed that unity remains the only viable path to restoring growth and development.

Togbe Addai Kwasi Dzani XIII made the call following his induction as a full member of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, a ceremony witnessed by the President of the House and other Ewe traditional leaders from across the region.

Speaking after the induction, the Paramount Chief described the moment as a new beginning for Awudome. He noted that the long-standing chieftaincy disputes had halted several development initiatives previously embarked upon by the Traditional Council.

He revealed that before the disputes, key projects such as water supply initiatives—including the Nurses’ Bungalow Traditional Council Project—had been started but were abandoned due to unresolved leadership challenges.

Now fully recognized as the substantive Paramount Chief and a member of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, Togbe Addai Kwasi Dzani XIII assured residents that all stalled projects would be resumed and completed, while new development initiatives would also be introduced.

He emphasized that Awudome is endowed with vast land and mountainous terrain with significant development potential, but peace and unity are essential to attracting investment and driving sustainable growth.

Calling on chiefs, elders, and residents to rally behind traditional authority, the Paramount Chief urged the youth to remain calm and supportive, stressing that lasting development can only thrive in an environment of peace, unity, and mutual respect.

“With peace and unity, development will surely come,” he said. “Let us join hands to build Awudome together.”

Reported By Christian Ahodie

Chief Executive Officer of GoldBod, Sammy Gyamfi, has dismissed claims by the Minority in Parliament that the government is attempting to “equalise” losses recorded under the Gold-for-Reserves programme, describing the allegations as misleading and politically motivated.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Mr Gyamfi opposed calls for a parliamentary probe into an alleged US$214 million loss, arguing that the Minority has ignored significantly higher losses incurred under the previous administration.

“Equalisation? Never. No one is equalising,” he wrote, insisting that available data shows improved outcomes under the current arrangement.

Mr Gyamfi disclosed that in 2024, under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, the Bank of Ghana purchased only 45 tonnes of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) gold through the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC), Red Sapphire, and other aggregators. Despite gold prices being below US$2,800 per ounce at the time, he said the Bank of Ghana recorded an audited loss of GH¢4.18 billion under the ASM gold purchase programme.

By contrast, he noted that in 2025 under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, the Bank of Ghana has so far purchased 102 tonnes of ASM gold—more than double the previous year—at prices exceeding US$4,400 per ounce. Yet, the reported loss stands at GH¢3.3 billion and remains unaudited.

“The NPP Minority Caucus is now crying foul that the BoG and GoldBod have made a much lesser loss, despite buying a far larger volume of ASM gold at much higher prices,” Mr Gyamfi stated.

He accused the Minority of hypocrisy, adding, “When you remind them of the much bigger losses recorded when they were in power, they say you are equalising. No, we are not equalising at all. We are simply exposing your hypocrisy and deliberate mischief.”

Mr Gyamfi also questioned the criteria being used to assess the programme’s performance, stressing that the Gold-for-Reserves initiative was never designed as a profit-making venture.

“Is the Gold-for-Reserves programme a profit-making programme or a forex-generation programme?” he asked. “The fact is, it is a forex-generation programme and not a profit-making one. You do not assess the success of a non-profit monetary policy initiative based on profit and loss, but rather on its broader economic impact.”

He concluded that the programme should be evaluated based on its contribution to foreign exchange stability and broader macroeconomic outcomes, rather than narrow profit-and-loss figures.