The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) have called for strengthened collaboration among security agencies across the country.
The call was made when the newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah paid a maiden courtesy visit to GIS.
The visit, which was marked by a display of military protocol and formalities aimed to enhance the existing mutually beneficial collaboration between the two institutions.
A quaternary guard was formed to receive the Chief of Defence Staff, followed by an inspection of the quarter guard by him.
In his opening remarks, the Comptroller-General, Kwame Esuah Takyi highlighted the importance of cooperation between the GAF and GIS, in achieving their respective mandates effectively.
The Comptroller-General noted the long-standing relationship between the Ghana Armed Forces and the Immigration Service, dating back to the 1970s, when the Immigration Department collaborated closely with the armed forces’ guard units.
“Notably, in 1989, when the Immigration Department transitioned to a paramilitary service, the Ghana Armed Forces provided crucial training to the first batch of officers, instilling a sense of discipline and professionalism,” he explained.
He indicated that meeting with the CDS was also a “signal of the strong partnership between our agencies and a shared commitment to safeguarding our nation’s borders and protecting its citizens.”
He discussed the role of officers in regulating migration, facilitating safe travel, and combating transnational crime.
Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, who also addressed the gathering, expressed his commitment to fostering closer ties and cooperation between the two institutions.
He reiterated the importance of unity among security agencies to tackle emerging threats effectively. “It is imperative that we work together,” he emphasized, noting the critical benefits such collaboration brings.
Highlighting the advantages of cooperation,Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah outlined three key areas; compensating for numerical limitations, enhancing interoperability through joint operations and training and optimising resource sharing to ensure no institution faces shortages in funding or provisions.
“In an effort to reaffirm the Ghana Enforcement’s commitment to work with all other security agencies to deal with any emerging threat in our country, I will continue where our predecessors left off. It is imperative that we work together and I think the benefits of that cannot be overemphasized.
“It will first of all help us to compensate for numbers that would have affected the extent of our operations. Number two, it improves our interoperability through the training and the joint operations that we conduct along the borders. And number three, we can also share resources together so that no one institution will be found wanting money,” he explained.
Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah concluded by expressing his gratitude to the Comptroller General for his predecessor’s collaboration and extending thanks to colleagues for their support.
