The Deputy Controller General of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Mr. Owusu Mensah, has passionately called on Ghanaians to be vigilant in an effort to fight any activity of terrorists and extremist in the country.
According to him, despite the readiness of his office, and by large the security agencies in the country, the fight against terrorism would be a herculean task when there was no collective responsibility.
To this end, he has charged all regional commanders of the Immigration Service to ensure that borders in their jurisdictions were kept safe and secure to prevent any unlawful entry and penetration by terrorist.
He made the observation at a four-day workshop on Evaluation of the Ghana Immigration Service Strategic Plan in Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
The four days’ workshop, which was funded by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), brought together regional commanders and top officers of the Ghana Immigration Service to deliberate on the Evaluation Strategic Plan and make recommendations to strengthen the operations of the service.
Mr. Owusu Mensah said the programme and the project were developed to achieve numerous objectives to improve the operations of the service.
He stated that the Immigration Service was a well-armed institution that was apprehending and deporting illegal immigrants out of the country, and well prepared to face terrorist attacks.
Despite the huge infrastructural gains by the current government through the provision of vehicles, border patrols, accoutrement, arms and ammunition, more was needed at the various borders to enable the officers perform their mandates more effectively.
The Project Manager for International Centre for Migration Policy Development, Amala Obioboye-Nwalor, said evaluation was not always pleasant, but very important if there was a way forward.
She commended the Service for the significant role being played at the various borders of the country to safeguard the citizens.
Amala Obioboye-Nwalor has assured the GIS of the readiness of her outfit to factor in the emergence threat of terrorism in their next strategic plan.
The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) is an international organisation with operations spread over 90 countries worldwide. It was established by Austria and Switzerland in 1993, and has since grown to 19 member states as of 2022.
