Government now has the capacity to produce 800 passports per day following the arrival of the new equipment and consumables required to upscale production ,Zim Morning Post has heard.
Minister of Information Publicity and Broadcasting, Monica Mutsvangwa made the revelations at a Post Cabinet Briefing on Wednesday.
“Cabinet received a progress report by the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage on the resolution of the challenges currently affecting the production of passports in the country. The Minister advised Cabinet that the new equipment and consumables required to upscale the production of passports had now been procured.”
“Following this development, the Registrar General’s Office now has the capacity to produce 800 passports per day, up from the 60 passports which had of late become the daily maximum output. Government will continue to mobilise further resources in order to ensure that the daily maximum production of passports is raised to 8 000,” she said.
Government has vowed to mobilize resources to ensure growth in the passport production.
“Government will continue to mobilise further resources in order to ensure that the daily maximum production of passports is raised to 8 000,” added Mutsvangwa.
This publication understands that Fidelity Printers had resumed the printing of passports in a bid to clear a 350 000 backlog while contract negotiations with Nikuv are still underway.
The Central Registry said that Fidelity Printers has a capacity to boost the production of passports.
“The Central Registry will also take advantage of the idle capacity at the Fidelity Printers, to further boost the production of passports. Government, once again, wishes to assure the nation that the passport production backlog of 300 000 will be cleared very soon for the convenience of our citizens both within Zimbabwe and in the Diaspora,” added Mutsvangwa.
