The long wait for the long planned biometric passport maybe about to be over but the cost of acquiring one has generated a heated debate.
The past few weeks have witnessed sustained criticism of the Le 500, 000 (US$100) price tag the Immigration Department placed on it and those opposing it say it is expensive and will be out of reach for most Sierra Leoneans. But the authorities say the price has been reached with consideration of what is involved in preparing the document.
A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or digital passport, is a combined paper and electronic passports that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of the individual. It can be used to indentify facial recognition, fingerprint recognition and iris recognition.
The fact that biometric is used to authenticate the data stored electronically in the passport chip makes it expensive and difficult to forge when all security mechanisms are fully and correctly implemented.
Nigeria, Gambia, Liberia and Ghana are among a handful of countries in Africa that have adopted biometric passports and the Immigration Department has decided to reference these countries to defend its decision to charge the equivalent of US$100, which places Sierra Leone somewhere in the middle in terms of the cost for a passport.
Among the lot, Gambia charges the highest – US$200, while neighboring Liberia charges the least – US$50.
“It could be discerned from the above that apart from the Republic of Liberia where cost of a passport is US$50, due to the subsidy by that government, the cost of passports in the other countries were far above the US$100 approved by government,” a statement from the immigration department, signed by Chief Immigration Officer Alpha Kholifa Koroma, reads in part.
“Therefore the allegation that Sierra Leone is the only country charging US$ 100 for the new biometric passport is not only superfluous, but it is a calculated move to misleading the public,” it adds.
The Immigration chief insists that increasing the fee had become necessary so as to remove government subsidy which could be deployed to pro-poor programmes.
But those who are opposed to the increment are citing the same poor masses as their point of concern.
Kholifa also said the new price will harmonize the price of passport with most of the Ecowas sub region.
© Politico 04/06/15
