Henry Quartey, the interior minister, has urged immigration officials to act professionally and resist political favoritism.
“We are to defend our borders at the points of entry and departure while serving God and our nation.”
“Do me a favor and stay out of politics here. Tell us whether you want to get involved in politics so we can go register you with a party,” he continued.
In order to familiarize himself with the Ghana Immigration Service’s activities prior to this year’s general election in December, the minister was speaking on Thursday while on a working visit to the agency’s headquarters in Accra.
Unacceptable conduct
Additionally, the minister requested that officers refrain from helping passengers with their bags at airports and other checkpoints.
According to him, “some of you (immigration officers) walk passengers through checkpoints with their bags pulled straight out of the car.” There must be an immediate end to that, and I mean immediately.
What is that passenger carrying, do you know? Mr. Quartey asked, “What have you done to yourself and the image of the service if security agency personnel decide to conduct a random search and you choose to carry that bag?”
According to him, immigration agents working at airports in other jurisdictions concentrate on their primary responsibilities and only transport suspect travelers’ bags for additional examination.
Dedication
The minister went on to say that the GIS was a crucial component of the nation’s security framework, and the government was dedicated to helping the service do its job well.
Accordingly, he added, the GIS recruited over 9,400 qualified persons into the service between 2017 and 2023 and gave them access to over 360 cars and 250 motorcycles.
Mr. Quartey went on to say that in order to maintain peace, safety, and security, more people needed to be hired and trained to guard the nation’s borders in light of the growing security concerns facing the continent and the West Africa subregion.
He added that as part of the Harmonizing and Improving Statistics in West Africa (HISWA) project, the GIS and the Ghana Statistical Service have created a border and permission management system.
In order to gather traveler data, the initiative is being implemented at 40 minor entry-exit locations and regional commands that do not already have an electronic border control system.
He praised the service’s management and employees for their dedication and discipline over the years.
Thank you
Kwame Asuah Takyi, the Comptroller-General of GIS, thanked the government for its ongoing assistance in ensuring the service’s effectiveness.
He listed some of the advancements since 2017 as the founding of the Ghana Immigration Service Center of Excellence at South Odorkor, the building of the Immigration Service Academy School (Cadet) at Assin Foso, the establishment of a mid-country Immigration Training School at Tepa, and a Tactical Training School at Kyebi.
