By Thomas Dixon
SALONE TIMES PRESS
A Civil Society Consortium on Poverty Eradication (CSCPE) has condemned the increase in passport price, which has posed a greater economic burden on poor citizens.
Mamoud Jabla Sinnah, the Consortium’s Executive Director revealed that what the government wants for its citizens is not what business entities like NETPAGE is providing for the people and this is making life unbearable for most citizens.
“Despite the fact that Civil Society Organizations have been intervening time and again for the cost of passports to come down, Jamal Shallop’s NETPAGE has been very stubborn with the company still pegging the price of passports to the dollar,” Sinnah remarked and added that now that the dollar has risen all over the world, there is no respite for those who need a passport and without mercy Netpage company has made the cost of one passport NLe1,850 which is just too expensive for citizens.
“The government must now put its foot down to review the passport contract of Jamal Shallop’s NETPAGE, which does not seek the interests of ordinary Sierra Leoneans,” he suggested and furthered that there are other international companies that are capable enough to handle passport issues. “We have other serious companies that are ready to print quality passports at a cheaper price rather than continue doing business with a company like NETPAGE that has done nothing to improve the current passport features.
The Sierra Leone Immigration Department (SLID) is the government department with responsibility for regulating immigration into Sierra Leone as well issue passports and other travelling documents to Sierra Leoneans.
It could be recalled that the government through the Immigration department announced the introduction of a biometric passport, from the current ordinary machine readable. But the cost for the passport, US$100 has been criticized as too expensive for most Sierra Leoneans.
According to the government, the increase in the price of passport came as a result of the adverse impact of the Leones to the United States Dollar.
“The general public is hereby informed that considering the inflation trend, which has adversely impacted on the Leones to the United States Dollar and other currencies, the government of Sierra Leone represented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Immigration Department, held extensive consultations and negotiations with stakeholders and the e-passport Contractor – HID CID Limited (represented by NETPAGE) in a bid to adjust the cost of the sale of e-passport to reflect the current exchange rate of the Leones to the US, as indicated in the e-passport Contract,” GoSL stated.
“To this end, with a view to fully implement the provisions of the e-passport, with particular reference to the cost of sale of e-passport, which is US$100 or it’s equivalent in Leones, the new cost of the sale of passport, as adjusted to reflect the revealing exchange rate of U$100, is NLe1,850.
