Ghana Immigration Service To Establish International Immigration Centre

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), will soon establish an International Immigration Centre (IIC), the Comptroller-General of Immigration (CGI), Mr. Kwame Asuah Takyi has said.

He made the disclosure when he welcomed a-nine- member Norwegian delegation to his office at the GIS Headquarters last Tuesday.

He noted that “the Centre is to build the capacity of officers of the GIS and share ideas and knowledge with sister security agencies such as the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Police Service, Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, as well as other international bodies.”

Mr. Kwame Asuah Takyi also indicated that the IIC was to aid in the fight against terrorism and other transnational organized crimes.

He called for dedicated sharing of intelligence among nations, saying that was one of the surest ways to avert terrorism and other crimes.

The leader of the Norwegian delegation, Mr. Berndt Korner, who is the Deputy Executive Director of Frontex, an European Border and Coast Guard Agency, noted that their courtesy call on the CGI was a follow-up on a Risk Analysis Centre (RAC) to be established at the GIS Headquarters.

“The Risk Analysis Centre seeks to boost intelligence gathering in the fight against irregular migration and cross-border crimes as well as develop and share analytical products and actionable intelligence,” he added.

He stated that the gesture was to support and empower member countries of Frontex and strengthen the collaboration that exists between them with the common interest of fighting cross-border crimes.

“I believe our official visit will enhance the excellent relationship that already exists between the two institutions” Mr. Berndt Korner stated.

Present at the meeting were the Norwegian Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Gunnar Andreas Holm, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Immigration in-charge of Finance and Administration (DCG/F&A), Mrs. Judith Dzokoto-Lomoh, Head of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI) Faisal Disu, and the Chief Superintendent of Immigration (CSI) John Edwin Amon Ashie.