The Comptroller General of the Ghana Immigration Service, Mr. Kwame Asuah Takyi, has expressed concerns over the porous nature of our land borders, which, according to him, was a serious security issue.
He stated this in his initial remarks at the opening ceremony of a Technical Workshop on Regional Cooperation for Enhancing Resilience and Migration Risks in Border Management in Accra yesterday.
The workshop was organised by the European Union (EU), together with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), in coordination with the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), to enhance Resilience and Mitigation Risks in Border Management.
The workshop will address the critical importance of effective border management in ensuring national security, facilitating trade and promoting regional integration.
This is the second regional conference to be held, however, this time it is at the technical level and is a follow-up to the first conference that took place from 8th – 10th November 2021, which brought together representatives from our neighbouring countries; Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire and Togo.
Addressing the members attending the workshop, Mr. Takyi said that like other West African countries, his outfit also faced common perennial challenges in managing our borders. This, he noted, included inadequate infrastructure and equipment; management of numerous irregular border crossing points; migration data management; the existence of cross border trafficking and smuggling networks and other transnational border crimes”.
This situation, he further added, had been exacerbated by contemporary challenges, such as the emergence of violent extremism.
Mr. Takyi again pointed out that over the years they had witnessed extremist groups or individuals deepening their aspirations to spread the instability, which the northern neighbours were grappling with.
“We must increase our efforts to prepare for and tackle urgent, overlapping issues if it is our objective to strengthen regional cooperation to enhance resilience and mitigate risks in border management,” he said, adding that the current security happenings in the Sahelian states had further highlighted the vulnerabilities and risks faced by Ghana.
He underscored that these multiple and overlapping issues pose serious challenges in maintaining the peace and stability that we require and emphasized the need to advance the regional cooperation and coordination in the border management agenda.
The Team Leader of the Governance and Security delegation of the European Union (EU) to Ghana, Madam Anna Lixi, on her part, said the workshop would revolve around current challenges, opportunities, and the role of regional cooperation in enhancing border management.
Madam Lixi further added that the EU understands the urgency of knowledge exchange and the importance of sharing good practices to mitigate risks and fortify collective resilience.
“As part of our commitment to strengthening partnership and cooperation with partner countries, we recognise the crucial role that well-functioning Immigration Services play in achieve in these principles,” noted.
