Ablakwa calls for more support for Refugee Board as Ministry donates equipment to boost operations
By Hannah Dadzie The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has donated decommissioned passport-processing equipment valued at GH¢539,574 to the Ghana Refugee Board to support its operations. The items include four passport printers, four lamination machines, four Canon cameras, one Epson receipt printer and two signature pads. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the […]
The Ghana Refugee Board has received decommissioned passport-processing equipment worth GH¢539,574 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to bolster its operations. The donation, led by Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, included four passport printers, lamination machines, Canon cameras, an Epson receipt printer, and two signature pads.
Ablakwa praised the Board for its role in providing protection and assistance to refugees, and recalled Ghana's history of welcoming those in distress, including Liberian refugees who stayed in the Buduburam refugee settlement for over a decade. The Minister explained that the equipment, previously used for biometric passport processing, became surplus after Ghana transitioned to chip-embedded passports compliant with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.
Ablakwa emphasized the need for increased financial and logistical support for the Refugee Board, which operates under significant financial constraints, and expressed hope that the donation would encourage other partners to assist the Board. Nana Asare Bediako, the Board's Executive Secretary, thanked the Ministry for the donation and appealed for continued support to help the Board effectively carry out its mandate despite funding cuts from the UNHCR.
Written by urgent.news from GBC Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
