Cletus Avoka, Chairman of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) Board, has assured personnel of the security agency that he and his colleagues would ensure that they cease to be poor cousins of the other security agencies in the country.
He made this known during an orientation/interactive meeting involving the GIS Board, the management and regional commanders in Accra yesterday.
‘The board is determined to ensure that the Service gets its fair share of the national cake and cease being the poor cousin of the other security agencies in the country,’ he assured.
The challenges being faced by personnel notwithstanding, he noted that they (personnel) had chalked important achievements, details of which he added, were captured in the handing-over notes the board received.
The world is today faced with the threats of terrorism, a reality which he said demands that the GIS is well resourced and motivated to meet the growing and changing dynamics of immigration and migration-related functions.
Ghana as an oasis of peace in West Africa, coupled with the country’s oil production status, he observed, was becoming a preferred destination, transit and origin of all manner of persons who ‘choose to visit the country for business, investments, tourism and holidays.’
In his address at the activity which took place in Accra, the Interior Minister, Mark Woyongo, acknowledged the good works of GIS personnel and announced that the ‘Ministry is in talks with relevant dealers to procure weapons and communication equipment as well as special purpose or all-terrain vehicles for the Service and for the Border Patrol Unit.’
‘These will not be done by government alone due to dire constraints on the national purse. Subsequently, the Ministry has advised agencies under it to pursue Public Private Partnership (PPP) to facilitate the realization of some of the critical infrastructural gaps currently being experienced,’ he announced.
In an address, COP (Dr) Peter A. Wiredu, Director of the GIS, announced that the GIS was in the final stages of drafting the first ever service regulations, a human resource policy and plan, a training policy, a training curriculum and syllabus among others.
He disclosed what was happening regarding other projects, ‘The management has embarked upon a continuation of the Border Patrol Infrastructure Projects which started in 2007. The construction of an ultra-modern and functional headquarters building would also commence soon.’
By A.R. Gomda
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