The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) yesterday engaged its key stakeholders in an appraisal meeting on strategic plans.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, the Attorney General’s Office, the Boundary Commission and other sister security services provided support for the conference.
The goal of the engagement is to gather input and finalise a strategic plan, an institutional document meant to direct the service’s goals as it works to fulfil its mandate to enhance border security and migration management in Ghana.
Addressing the gathering in an opening remark, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kwame Assuah Takyi said, “this is an opportunity for dialogue, for you to have a better understanding of our vision, mission and strategic objectives, and for us to solicit for your inputs, note your suggestions and opinions and adopt them, where necessary.”
The stakeholder engagement process is ongoing step-by-step and that his outfit was willing to disclose its goals for the next seven years.
Head of Office at the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), Amala Obiokoye-Nwalor, also stressed in his remarks that the 7-year strategic plan will build on the accomplishments of the previous one and other foundational documents like the National Migration Policy and the Land Border Security Strategy.
Consequently, it will take cognisance of the lessons learnt from the last plan to ensure a robust, well-articulated document that will guide GIS future programming and contribute to the attainment of its mandate.
The documents that will be presented after the meeting, Mr. Obiokye-Nwalor indicated, will represent several months of consultations and brainstorming along the rank and file of the GIS.
Speaking to the media, the head of Public Relations, Chief Supt. Michael Amoako-Atta noted that the meeting will bring together stakeholders who will also deliberate to ensure that the GIS plan is complete, inclusive, and responds to principles of Integrates Border Management.
He further disclosed that one of the thematic areas the engagement will cover is on border security, which will focus on training components of Immigration Officers.
According to him, these trainings will help equip personnel in terms of logistics to improve their skills in handling border terrorism.
“We have sent a lot of border patrol officers to the northern areas with support from other security agencies to ensure that our borders are safe.
‘We have also deployed more of our intelligence officers to border communities to gather intelligence to ensure that our borders are safe,” he said.
