Passport applicants in Kumasi frustrated as Centre runs out of power

Hundreds of passport applicants were stranded at the biometric passport application centre in Kumasi after work was suspended due to unavailability of electricity.

The situation resulted in an unusually long queues of frustrated applicants.

Checks revealed that the development begun in the latter part of last week when the office reportedly run out of electricity pre-paid credit.

The local passport office was reportedly dormant on Thursday and Friday, leaving over 800 passport applicants stranded and frustrated while workers idle about in their offices.

Nhyira News’ visit to the office on Monday revealed that applicants were uncertain as to when the situation would be addressed for work to resume.

Some of them describe the development as “embarrassing”.

Ashanti Regional Manager of the Passport Application Centre, Peprah Ampratwum, will neither deny nor confirm the unavailability of electricity pre-paid credit, though he admitted there were some technical challenges.

Contrary to official explanation however, Nhyira News investigation revealed that the office has exhausted their internally generated funds to meant for the purchase of prepaid electricity credit.

Until the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Accra releases funds to the Kumasi Passport office, processing of passport from the region will continue to be in limbo.

Story: Kofi Asante Ennin/Nhyira Fm-Kumasi/Ghana