Ghana Immigration Service commission Office in the Gushegu Municipal

 Due to the current state of security in the country, the Immigration Service has opened an office to be a "watchdog" to check on cross-border crimes and irregular migration.

ACI Francis Tachie who is the Second in Command of the Northern Region command said, the Ghana Immigration, established under the Ghana Immigration Service Act, 2016 (Act 908) which repealed the Immigration Act 1986 (PNDC Law, 226) is mandated, among others, to regulate and monitor the entry and exit of all travelers across the frontiers of Ghana as well as the residence and employment of all foreign nationals in Ghana.

In pursuance of this mandate, the Service processes passengers traveling in and out of Ghana and issues permits to non-Ghanaians who intend to stay in the country for some time. 

These activities are to ensure the Service contributes to national security and the general socio-economic development of Ghana.

 The GIS in its quest to build a stronger and better Ghana by operating fair but firm Immigration work systems that meet the social and economic needs of the country", has over the years leveraged on a genuine sense of professionalism and integrity that have culminated in the delivery of quality and efficient service; and through its active interest and involvement in international migration issues, coupled with its hard stance against irregular migration, been acknowledged as a significant member of the international migration community. 

 The GIS is currently implementing a five-year strategic plan which serves as a roadmap for the Service's vision of "Delivering - excellence in security and migration management for national development." This strategic plan revolves around six components which served as the basis upon which the broad strategic objectives were drawn.

Among these components is "Equipment and Infrastructure". 

The objective of this component is to have a well-equipped GIS adequately resourced with modern equipment and infrastructure that supports its operations.

This, the Service intends to do by, among others, developing staff and office accommodation projects.

He added that he is happy witnessing today is partly in fulfillment of this component, and Gushegu as a municipality is now going to have its own Immigration Office. 

The creation of this office will enhance our enforcement activities as well as our intelligence-led operations not only in the Gushegu environs but the Karaga area as well. 

That he, also wants to reiterate that the GIS is committed to professionalism, integrity, respect for human rights, and openness to learning as an organization as its core values. 

This new office is therefore open to the public for access. Whatever your immigration concerns are, you are always welcome for them to be addressed. The office belongs to you and your maximum cooperation will be needed.

The Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Musah Issah said the Ghana migration Service is a public security agency that aims at ensuring the effective administration and management of migration in the country which contributes to Ohana's national security.

 Indeed, by their mandate, they seek to regulate and monitor the entry, residence, employment, and exit of all foreigners, and thus administer the rights of visitors to Ghana and as well detect and combat threats at any entry points in the country

 The World currently faces an unprecedented convergence of international threats and instability. 

Indeed, the range of these threats among others is regional coercion and meddling. transnational terrorism, health insecurity. unconventional weapons, smuggling, displacement of populations, and overwhelming humanitarian crises create a complex operational environment.

 The Government of Ghana has a response to these threats seeks to improve joint security visibility and operations by establishing units or offices to counter these imminent dangers, particularly in areas bordering our West African neighbors such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, and Togo.

 In 2019, the National Security and the Municipal Security Council picked intelligence on the operations of a suspected terrorist base in some communities within the Eastern Corridor enclave including the Gushegu Municipality. 

After this development, the National Security deployed a team of security personnel to this area, leading to the flashing out of some alien Fulani herdsmen between Gushegu and its neighboring districts.

 Indeed, this is still a potential security threat that requires close watch, and thus knowing that cross-border crimes and irregular migration are better fought through inter-sectoral collaboration and intelligence gathering.

It is therefore the expectation of the people of the Municipality and his that the operation of the office will unify our borders against the potential incidence of terrorism and extremism.

Nonetheless, the operations of the service will be productive and beneficial only if it is regularised in the spirit of shared responsibilities, professionalism, and mutual respect between the Service and the Community.

The establishment of the office by the Municipal Assembly and Ghana Immigration Service will therefore help fight irregular migration and transnational organized crimes, and thus complement Government's efforts at resourcing state security agencies to ensure the needed internal peace, public safety, and social stability for national development.

Stephen Amoah, Northern Region