The Government of Liberia through the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Dean of Cabinet, H. E. Ambassador D-Maxwell Sarah Kemayah, has launched additional twenty Passport Application Centers in fourteen countries around the world.
According to the Minister Kemayah, the reason for decentralizing the passport centers around the world is to ease the difficulties faced by Liberians around the world to have access to passports when their passports get expired. Some have to travel far distances and causing some not to take part in voting processes in Liberia.
He further stated, this process will give Liberians in the Diaspora the opportunity to regularize their residential status in countries they resides in, as well as those Liberians wishing to travel back to Liberia for personal reasons including but not limited to registering to participate in Liberia voting processes and didn’t have updated passport to be abled to do so.
The Foreign Affairs Minister and Dean of Cabinet, D. Maxwell Saah Kemayah added, “All of this is an aliment of our ongoing and compromising reform process of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Liberia initiated upon my ascendency as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Dean of Cabinet of the Republic of Liberia”.
He named; Atlanta, Houston, Canada, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton. In South America; Brazil. In Europe, Turkey, Spain, Italia, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Netherlands and France. Others are; Asia; South Korea and Japan. Africa; Senegal and Egypt. And the Middle East;United Arab Emirates.
He asserted that currently passports are sold to Liberians in the Diaspora for US$160, but with the launch of PACs, US$60 will be for VFS-Global for service in collaboration with Buck Press, adding that the firm is only responsible for biometrics and to transport the passports to its clients in their various locals.
Kemayah said the government used to pay US$27 for each passport to be sent back to an applicant within the same US$200, adding that now government will not be paying that amount, and Diaspora Liberians will have an extra US$40 saved for them.
Meanwhile, Minister Kemayah urged all Liberia Diplomatic and Council missions abroad to work with the Liberian community in ensuring that Liberians are aware of this opportunity so that they can access the opportunity they have long been requesting for.
On January 18, 2023, The Government of Liberia, through Ambassador D-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, has launched an official opening of additional six Passport Application Centers in line with the ministry’s efforts to make passports accessible and affordable to the Liberians in the Diaspora, terming it as President George Weah’s vision for the citizenry.
He named Chicago-USA, Los Angeles-USA, Pretoria, South Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, Melbourne, Australia, and New Delhi, India as the first phase of expanding of Liberian passports to its citizens who are residing in the Diaspora.
Mohammed B. Gray
(NQTVNEWS-LIBERIA)
