The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has assured travellers of improved security and quicker processing at the country’s entry points this Christmas, with new systems, surveillance tools and the deployment of personnel activated to manage the anticipated surge in holiday arrivals.
“This Christmas, many Ghanaians are returning home. We are installing new equipment, especially for those who require a visa-on-arrival, to streamline their processes and make them friendlier.
Security will be heightened. Many of our intelligence officers will be in mufti at the airport and other entry points to ensure a safe and secure environment,” the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Samuel Basintale Amadu, said yesterday during a visit by the Immigration Service Council, led by the Chairman, Rev. Stephen Yenusom Wengam, to some immigration installations in Accra.
The team toured the Kotoka International Airport, Tema, and Greater Accra Regional commands to enable them to obtain first-hand information on the service's day-to-day activities.
Assurance
The Comptroller General gave the assurance that the country’s borders remained safe despite instability in neighbouring countries.
He said the GIS had deployed drones, anti-ballistic cabins and reinforced patrols, particularly in the north, to confront the spillover of Sahel-related threats.
“Some attacks have occurred just a few kilometres from our borders, but we have managed to keep them at bay,” he noted.
Mr Amadu welcomed the council’s visit to the Kotoka International Airport, Tema and Greater Accra commands, saying it had given it a clearer picture of the service’s longstanding logistical and infrastructural constraints.
“I have made the challenge of office and residential accommodation clear at every meeting since the council was inaugurated, but today I have succeeded in visualising it for them.”
“The council now appreciates the situation and I believe they are ready at the policy level to help galvanise public and private support,” he said.
Appeal
Rev. Wengam said he was impressed by the officers' commitment, although the conditions under which they work were troubling.
He, therefore, appealed to the government, the private sector, faith-based organisations and the public to support the service.
“Immigration Service is about all of us.
You can make all the profits, but if our borders are not secure and conflict erupts, you lose your investments in a day.
We need vehicles, motorbikes and drones.
Please come to our aid,” Rev. Wengam appealed.
He emphasised that accommodation was one of the most pressing concerns.
“In some areas, we do not even have accommodation.
They are renting, and keeping our men and women in civilian communities is unsafe,” he said.
He said the tour had humbled the council and strengthened its resolve to seek urgent resources for the service.
“Our eyes have been opened.
We are challenged to go out there and provide the tools and resources for the GIS to become a model in Africa and beyond,” he said.
