Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, H.E. Sabah Zita Benson, has announced the resumption of mobile passport application services across major UK cities, describing the move as a critical step to improve access and ease long-standing frustrations among Ghanaians in the diaspora.
Speaking at a community engagement, Ms Benson said the High Commission would restart the outreach service to allow applicants to renew or apply for passports in cities such as Manchester and Birmingham, eliminating the need for travel to London and the associated congestion charges and costs.
She stressed that the service would be provided free of charge by the High Commission, explaining that the mobile passport system had previously been removed from the mission and assigned to a private company that charged fees while still submitting applications to the mission for processing. According to the High Commissioner, the arrangement failed to deliver the service effectively, prompting her decision to restore it directly under the mission’s consular operations.
Ms Benson said the decision followed repeated appeals from community members who struggled to access passport services. She revealed that more than 85 applicants had already registered online in Manchester alone, underscoring what she described as pent-up demand.
“It is my mandate to ensure that when Ghanaians need passports, they get them, no matter where they are,” she said, adding that the outreach would begin in Manchester next weekend before expanding to other locations.
The High Commissioner also addressed criticism on social media following the announcement, urging the public to engage constructively and understand the purpose of the initiative. She said the mission was acting in response to public need and not seeking confrontation.
Beyond passport services, Ms Benson outlined a series of reforms aimed at improving customer service at the High Commission. These include the establishment of a customer service desk, upgrades to the mission’s website, and measures to ensure calls and emails are answered promptly.
She further announced plans for regular visits to Ghanaian-owned businesses and markets across the UK, describing her approach as hands-on and community-focused. “I am not going to be an armchair ambassador,” she said, pledging to take the mission directly to the people it serves.
Ms Benson said the reforms were part of a broader effort to modernise service delivery and rebuild trust, assuring the diaspora that tangible changes would continue to unfold in the coming months.