Demand proof of identity from tenants - GIS to landlords
The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has reminded landlords to insist on proof of identity from prospective tenants before renting rooms to them.
This, he said, would help establish the immigration status of the tenants and trace them in cases of crime, explained the Public Affairs Officer of the GIS at Aflao, DSI Justice Kudzo Normeshie.
He was speaking at a workshop on ‘Reframing Narratives on Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa for about 100 journalists and student journalists selected from various media houses and tertiary institutions in the Volta Region in Ho last Wednesday.
This was under the broader training on ‘Digital Content Creation and Mini-video Blogging on Free Movement in West Africa.’
The workshop
The programme was jointly funded by the European Union and the ECOWAS Commission and implemented by the Media Response (Ghana), with support from the GIS.
Other agencies which supported the programme included the International Organisation for Migration, the International Labour Organisation, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development and ECOWAS@50.
The objective was to strengthen the capacity of the participants and public communication officers to report on migration responsibly and accurately.
The participants
The workshop was also to promote balanced, human-centred public discourse on migration and free movement in West Africa, while placing strong emphasis on ethical, evidence-based reporting.
DSI Normeshie explained that despite the ECOWAS protocol on free cross-border movement, travellers in the sub-region still required valid identity or travel documents to benefit from the provision.
In that regard, he said that other nationals from ECOWAS member states who chose to reside in Ghana were required to obtain residence permits.
“In all cases, security is paramount and there are still established procedures for crossing the frontier,” he added.
He reminded travellers not to abuse the 90-day free stay in the country, as overstaying the period would incur a penalty.
Touching on immigration reporting, DSI Normeshie told the participants to refrain from uncompassionate language to describe immigrants who may find themselves in Ghana, not through their own choices, but probably through circumstances beyond their control.
For instance, he explained, a citizen of a sister country who fled a conflict situation in his country and relocated to Ghana may be an irregular immigrant but not an illegal immigrant.
He said those bringing others from other countries into Ghana must prove how they would support those immigrants.
He also indicated that there may also be cases of vulnerable migrants who could not be described as criminals, adding, “journalists must avoid harsh words, hate speech and victim blaming in their reportage on immigration issues.”
Similarly, the Executive Director of Media Response, Samuel Dodoo, entreated journalists to be cautious of terminology when reporting on immigration issues.
He said there was a need to build media capacity to promote informed reporting on migration and free movement in West Africa.
