The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) has partnered with the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to evaluate the Ghana Immigration Service four years strategic plan which was launched in 2018 as a way to strengthen the vision of the institution.
The four years strategic plan was envisaged by policies aimed at Strengthening Border and Migration Management in Ghana (SMMIG) and Strengthening Border Security in Ghana (SBS).
Speaking at a meeting in Koforidua, Mrs Amala Obiokoye Nwalor who is the project manager for International Centre for Migration Policy Development ICMPD said that the evaluation meeting will help to bring to light issues that were achieved and those that were not achieved so that unachieved plans can be moved into the next strategic plan.
“This workshop is to evaluate the Ghana Immigration Service strategic plan which was launched in 2018 and it’s for four years up to this year 2022, the plan has a vision which was to strengthen the GIS capacity, especially in the area of information, communication technology ICT, it has different components such as strengthening the human resources, the workforce, the infrastructure, and several others,” she explained.
“As we all know the covid-19 when there is a lockdown and a lot of things were put on hold at least between 2019 to 2020 and now 2022 we are beginning to reopen so I do know some things might not have been achieved due to that and also due to sometimes lack funding so there is the possibility that some things were not achieved but a lot was also achieved and I think we can also focus on the achievement and the things that were not achieved in the previous plan we can always put it in the next plan”.
She further urged the Ghana Immigration Service to begin to consider capturing a long-term policy that will deal with terrorism in the next strategic plan considering the current emergence threat of terrorism bothering Ghana and the sub-regions.
However, Isaac Owusu Mensah the Deputy Comptroller General for Finance and Administration of the Ghana Immigration Service said even though the institution has come far, it still has a few to achieve in the area of laws and policies by fully reviewing it and codifying standards operative procedures and also come out with legislation of other aspects that have come with the expanded role of the Service.
In a speech read on behalf of the Comptroller General, Isaac Owusu Mensah outlined that the ICMPD in the four years Strategic Plan has helped improve office and residential accommodation, increased the number of motorbikes, expanded and established training facilities as well as improved gender equality among others.
“The service made progress in some areas in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and its associated issues however there are other areas in which progress has not been extended as the service has been expecting, for example, the review of some selected courses, establishing a modern equipment and infrastructure maintenance centre among others are all behind schedule, to review is to literally look again at something, I hope that we can look at every aspect of this strategic plan, looking at what we have done and what we are yet to do and adopting the most efficient and the most effective path in achieving our objectives” the statement read.
” We all know the times in which we are, am talking about the terrorist activities and violent extremism that seems is all around us, as a regional commander you have the big responsibility to ensure that borders under your command are safe, I know the government is putting a lot of things in place to ensure that Ghana remains safe of these attacks but the buck stops with the Service as we are the first point of call at the point entries” he assured
He stressed further that despite the government’s effort to resource the service, there is an infrastructural deficit at the borders to accommodate some of its, officers, hence he called on authorities to expedite actions at the borders to create a conducive environment for the officers in order to deliver good service for the country.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Obed Ansah
