The Western Regional Command of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has organized two separate training workshops for frontline officers to build their capacity in Document Fraud Detection, Migration and general border security enhancement, health, and GIS contingency plan.
The workshop which was attended by some fifty (50) selected Immigration Officers in the Region was in its third (3rd) phase of implementation in line with the Strengthening Border Security and Migration Management in Ghana (SMMIG) and the Strengthening Border Security (SBS) in Ghana Projects.
Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Western Regional Command of the GIS, Assistant Inspector Moses Manford Akakpo indicated that the project was funded by the Danish Government and implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).
He said the SMMIG and SBS projects were designed to support the Government of Ghana (GoG) in strengthening its institutional and operational capacities to manage irregular migration flows, with a specific focus on strengthening the capacity of GIS staff involved in the fight against irregular migration.
It was also designed to detect forged and falsified travel documents at the basic, intermediate and advanced levels.
He explained that due to the strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocols, the training was designed to take twenty-five (25) frontline officers per each section, beginning in earnest with the Elubo Sector Command and subsequently in Takoradi to cover officers of the Takoradi Sector Command and the GIS Regional Command Headquarters.
Takoradi Sector Commander, C/Supt Emmanuel Manful, thanked the Danish Government for supporting the Government of Ghana and also the GIS.
He noted that the all-important training was in sync with other interventions being rolled out by the GIS to bring incidences of irregular migration and other forms of migration offences across Ghana’s Borders to the barest minimum.
He charged beneficiary officers to take the training seriously because, the carefully selected topics treated at the training workshops, do not only go to the heart of the GIS mandate, as per Act 908 of 2016, but more importantly, the transformational agenda the Service is currently undertaking.
“This, therefore, brings to the fore, the importance of such programmes to build the capacity, confidence, and the knowledge of the GIS personnel”, he stated.
He further advised them to pay attention to the GIS health contingency plan especially, in the wake of this dreaded COVID-19 pandemic and its ravaging effect on migration globally, in order to protect themselves and the travelling public they come into contact with.
The Head of Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Department (PPMED), ACI/ Thomas Ewuntuma, at the GIS Headquarters, who doubles as the facilitator for the training seized the opportunity to inform officers about the various policy interventions and training programmes being rolled out to enhance their capacity and professionalism as frontlines officers.
