New board for Immigration Service sworn into office

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has secured a $32 million loan to put up a new eight-storey modern headquarters in Accra. The project, scheduled to begin next year, is expected to provide adequate space for staff to work more effectively.

The Deputy Minister of the Interior, Mr James Agalgah, made this known when he inaugurated a nine-member Board of Directors for the GIS in Accra yesterday.

Membership

The board has Mr Cletus Avoka, a former Interior Minister, as its chairman. The other members are Dr Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor, Mr John Owusu Amankrah, Mr Robert Oracca Tetteh, Nana Essifuah Boison.

The rest are Mr Mustapha Ahmed, COP/Dr Peter Wiredu, Mrs Adelaide Anno-Kumi and Mr Alexander Grant Ntrakwa.

Addressing the new board, Mr Agalgah, said under the Ghana Immigration Service Act, the board had the responsibility to advise the GIS and ensure the effective implementation of the laws and regulations pertaining to immigration and related issues.

Mandate

Mr Agalgah said GIS had the mandate to control, regulate and monitor the entry, residence, employment and exit of all foreigners, as well as the movement of Ghanaians in and out of the country.

He expressed the hope that the new board would team up with management to find solutions to problems facing the service 

The deputy  minister assured the board of the government’s support to enable the service to regulate and monitor the movement of people in and out of the country.

Mr Avoka said efforts were made in the past to arm the Border Patrol Unit of the service in pursuance of which a bill was drafted, and was subsequently approved by Cabinet.

However, he said, the initiative stalled because of the change in government.