Handwritten Passports For Ghanaians In The Gulf
Ghana’s consulate in Saudi Arabia has issued handwritten passports to Ghanaian workers stranded since April in the Gulf Region since April, this year, to enable them to go about their duties with ease.
Their old passports were collected by the consulate, to be changed into biometric, but its inability to do so restrained their movements across the borders for months. Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration disclosed this to the Ghanaian Times newspaper on Wednesday. He however gave the assurance that new passports would be issued to them as and when the Ministry was equipped and ready to do that.
The Minister, who would not comment further, said the handwritten passports were legal and were recognized in line with diplomatic practices all over the world. The Ghanaian Times last April 8, carried the story of how hundreds of Ghanaian in the Gulf region were stranded in Saudi Arabia because the Consular General in Saudi Arabia collected their passports, ostensibly to replace them with biometric passports. Mostly drivers, the Ghanaians are employed by multination companies for cross-border business activities in the Gulf states of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Oman.
The drivers were said to be on the verge of losing their jobs because their employers would not continue to engage them without passports. As a result, they were grounded and life was becoming unbearable as they struggled to pay for their accommodation and other bills.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Mohammed Mumuni told the Times newspaper that the transition from the old passport to the biometric passport was bound to pose challenges. Alhaji Mumuni acknowledged that Ghanaians workers in the Gulf region had a peculiar problem noting that because of their cross-border activities, they easily used up their passport leaves. He said even though Ghana was moving to biometric passports in line with international standards, the old passports remain valid until 2015.
source: peacfmonline.com
Their old passports were collected by the consulate, to be changed into biometric, but its inability to do so restrained their movements across the borders for months. Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration disclosed this to the Ghanaian Times newspaper on Wednesday. He however gave the assurance that new passports would be issued to them as and when the Ministry was equipped and ready to do that.
The Minister, who would not comment further, said the handwritten passports were legal and were recognized in line with diplomatic practices all over the world. The Ghanaian Times last April 8, carried the story of how hundreds of Ghanaian in the Gulf region were stranded in Saudi Arabia because the Consular General in Saudi Arabia collected their passports, ostensibly to replace them with biometric passports. Mostly drivers, the Ghanaians are employed by multination companies for cross-border business activities in the Gulf states of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Oman.
The drivers were said to be on the verge of losing their jobs because their employers would not continue to engage them without passports. As a result, they were grounded and life was becoming unbearable as they struggled to pay for their accommodation and other bills.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Mohammed Mumuni told the Times newspaper that the transition from the old passport to the biometric passport was bound to pose challenges. Alhaji Mumuni acknowledged that Ghanaians workers in the Gulf region had a peculiar problem noting that because of their cross-border activities, they easily used up their passport leaves. He said even though Ghana was moving to biometric passports in line with international standards, the old passports remain valid until 2015.
source: peacfmonline.com
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