FROM: Daniel Y Dayee, Dormaa, Gonokrom
The Comptroller General of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Mr. Samuel Amadu Basintale, has called for stronger inter-agency collaboration to secure Ghana’s borders and clamp down on cross-border crimes.
Mr. Basintale made the call during a three-day tour of border communities in the Bono Region, where he assessed conditions on the ground, engaged officers, and met with key stakeholders to shape policies for managing border security.
### *Tour of Border Posts and Unapproved Routes*
The tour took the GIS boss and his entourage to major border towns including Sampa, Wenchi, Banda, Nsawkaw, Gonokrom, and Nkrankwanta. The team also visited several unapproved routes such as Kofi Kumitown, Kofi Badukrom, and Yaakrom.
The delegation included Deputy Commissioner in charge of Public Affairs, Maud A. Quainoo; Bono Regional Commander, Deputy Commissioner Eric Quartey; Chief of Staff, Assistant Commissioner Gordon Saah; and Head of Protocol, Deputy Superintendent Barbara Sam.
According to Mr. Basintale, the visit was to assess the welfare of officers, understand logistical and infrastructure challenges, and gather first-hand information on difficulties faced in managing the borders.
“Together You Achieve More”
At the Gonokrom Border Post, Mr. Basintale met with heads of agencies working along the frontier, including National Security, Customs Division of GRA, the Military, Narcotics Control Commission, freight forwarders, and members of the business community.
He urged them to deepen inter-agency collaboration through intelligence and information sharing to track criminals and keep border areas safe.
“Together you achieve more than individually working on your own,” he stressed.
He added that Gonokrom would receive its fair share of resources to enable officers to work optimally, noting that the Bono Region holds personal significance for him. “This is where I started my career as an immigration officer about 34 years ago,” he said.
Mr. Basintale pointed out that there is already cordial working relations among security chiefs at the national level, and encouraged similar cooperation among officers on the ground.
Engagement With Chiefs and DISEC
At Kofi Badukrom, the Comptroller General met with traditional leaders and his officers, repeating the call for collaboration and intelligence sharing to effectively manage the borders.
Earlier, he had met with the Municipal Chief Executive of Dormaa Central, Dominic Adomah Ameyaw, and members of the District Security Committee (DISEC) in Dormaa Ahenkro, where he again emphasized joint efforts to police the frontiers.
The MCE raised concerns about the deplorable state of roads leading to Gonokrom and appealed to the GIS boss to highlight the issue to central government for urgent attention.
Welfare and Logistics Top Agenda
Arriving at the Nkrankwanta Border Control Post at about 8pm after travelling on rough and rugged roads, Mr. Basintale addressed officers on welfare, logistics, and infrastructure constraints.
“Your welfare is key to me. It is one of my priority areas for the service,” he assured. He disclosed that plans are far advanced to introduce a health insurance scheme for GIS personnel and their families.
He noted that the strength of the service has grown from about 4,500 to over 18,000, making welfare a critical issue.
On infrastructure, the Comptroller General expressed concern that the GIS cannot boast of a single regional office of its own nationwide. “We need to have functioning regional offices. Sector Commands are in rented premises and this does not augur well for us,” he said. He revealed that work is underway to build seven regional offices, with the Bono Regional office in Sunyani at an advanced stage.
On logistics, Mr. Basintale said the service lacks adequate patrol vehicles suited for hard-to-reach border areas. “Border areas have rough and rugged feeder roads, so we need properly designed patrol vehicles. That is why GIS does not need the Navara-type vehicles provided to the police,” he explained. He added that the service is collaborating with manufacturers in South Africa to design suitable patrol vehicles.
Berekum Command Pushes for Support
At the Berekum Sector Command, Mr. Basintale inspected a guard of honour mounted in his honour. During a staff durbar, Sector Commander Omani Agyekum said the command oversees three operational areas: Berekum main, Wamfie, and Jinjini.
He appealed for an increase in operational impress, new vehicles and motorbikes, computers, communication gadgets, and signposts to enhance visibility and operations. “Due to transport challenges we are unable to operate well,” he said.
Training and Weapon Handling
Mr. Basintale also announced that the curriculum for training officers has been reviewed. In-service training will be introduced to improve service skills and weapon handling to ensure effective border management.
The Comptroller General earlier inspected the immigration checkpoint at Kato, where he interacted with officers and urged them to maintain high standards while the service works to improve their conditions.