GIS begins 10-day training to strengthen intelligence-led border management

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has begun a 10-day intensive training programme aimed at strengthening risk analysis and intelligence-led border management in the country.

The training, organised in partnership with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), forms part of the 48-month Strengthening and Harmonizing Integrated Border Management Frameworks and Technical (SHIFT) Project.

The initiative is expected to equip frontline immigration officers with skills to identify emerging security threats and improve the Service’s response to transnational crimes and extremist movements.

Speaking at the opening ceremony in Accra, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Samuel Basintale Amadu, said the changing nature of transnational crime required the GIS to adopt a more intelligence-driven approach to border security.

“Criminal networks today operate fluidly across multiple jurisdictions, leveraging advanced technology, forged documentation, cyber tools, and complex financial channels to facilitate their operations,” he said.

Mr Amadu said terrorist groups and extremist elements are also exploiting irregular migration routes and weaknesses in border systems to move across regions.

He said the Service was therefore prioritising professional data analysis, suspicious behaviour detection and stronger inter-agency collaboration to address the emerging threats.

The training has brought together 30 selected frontline officers from various entry and exit points across the country.

Over the 10-day period, the participants will receive training in advanced data technologies and modern risk assessment systems to enable them to conduct institutional risk analysis and detect security threats more effectively.

Also speaking at the event, the Head of Office for ICMPD, Amala Obiokoye Nwalor, said strengthening the capacity of GIS officers was critical to effective intelligence-led border management.

“Risk analysis is the backbone of intelligence-led border management. It is important for GIS officers to be trained because without the right skills, they cannot anticipate threats or respond effectively,” she said.

The €7.3 million European Union-funded SHIFT Project is being implemented by ICMPD in response to growing security challenges in West Africa, including porous borders, the spillover of terrorism from the Sahel and transnational organised crime.

The project seeks to contribute to stronger, more coordinated and effective border management systems in Ghana and the wider region.