Minister for Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and NEPAD, Nana Akufo-Addo, has disclosed that the Government of Ghana donated US$200,000.00 to victims of hurricane Katrina.

This, he said, was in solidarity with the government and people of the United State of America when the natural disaster occurred.

The minister told the house that in addition to the modest contribution, the President sent a message of sympathy to the United States President.

He said this in response to a question posed by MP for Bole, John Mahama, on whether Ghana made any financial contribution in aid of victims of hurricane Katrina, which affected the southern part of USA last year.

On the position of government in respect to the issuance of new Ghanaian passports considering the fact that some countries in the sub region were issuing ECOWAS passports in place of their respective national passports, the minister said it is the intention of the government to provide a new genre of national passports with enhanced security features to meet the requisite international standards.

This, he said, would significantly reduce, if not entirely eliminate, the problem of fraud, duplication and associated malpractices, which have attended the issue, and the circulation of the current passport.

He mentioned that in this new passport scheme, provision has been made for the production of ECOWAS passports, which would be utilized concurrently with our national passport.

He disclosed that by 2007, Ghana would join the other countries in the use of the ECOWAS passport in circulation.