The Government of Denmark provided cybersecurity technology to the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to help prevent irregular migration by improving document fraud detection and investigation.
This grant is part of the second phase of the ‘Strengthening Border and Migration Management’ (SMMIG) initiative, which is focused at improving border and migration management in Ghana.
80 laptops, 5 desktops, 63 software licenses (including antivirus, Microsoft Suite, and cybersecurity tools), 10 CCTV cameras, 4 CCTV monitors, 2 digital cameras, a 3-in-1 industrial copier, 2 printers, 6 IP phones, 6 uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and 6 steel cabinets were all donated.
Eleven workstations/desks, eight air conditioners, twelve visitor chairs, eight office swivel chairs, three metal safes, a 12.5 kVA generator set, and two LAN/WAN IT infrastructure installations were also provided.
Comptroller General of GIS, Kwame Asuah Takyi, emphasized during the handover ceremony how important it is to have cybersecurity and information technology equipment in order to improve border and migration management in Ghana.
He stated that by enhancing the identification and examination of document fraud at the regional level, the contribution seeks to increase the service’s ability to counteract irregular migration.
“The achievement of this goal resulted in the creation of a fraud office serving the Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, and Western Northern Regions under the Ashanti Regional Command in Kumasi,” he said.
The project also seeks to improve the service’s ability to respond to irregular migration by strengthening the legal department’s ability to look into, prosecute, and secure agreements pertaining to document fraud and other matters involving migration.
The Comptroller-General claims that the scheme has made it possible for 30 prosecutors and 30 investigators to receive basic and advanced training.
He also mentioned that subscriptions to digital legal materials and intelligence training were available for 25 cops.
Furthermore, the project helped GIS review its 2018–2022 strategic plan, create a new 2023–2029 strategic plan, and update some office assistant Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which are presently being finalized.
According to him, the effort has also helped to improve the service’s institutional and professional cybersecurity capabilities.
The head of GIS claims that ten officers recently traveled to the Czech Republic to see the workings of other immigration service cybersecurity units after completing a cybersecurity certification program.
The initiative has acquired furniture, cybersecurity equipment, and other necessities for setting up a special office within the service.
In order to support intelligence collecting, monitoring, prosecution, assessment, and investigation, certain offices received computers today,” he continued.
He thanked the International Center for Migration Policy Development and the Danish government for their financial support in making these accomplishments possible.
Deputy Danish Ambassador Vibeke Sandholm Pedersen said that by bolstering border and migration management, Ghana has received assistance from the Danish government in managing migration since 2018.
The SMMIG project, she pointed out, has been especially successful in assisting Ghana Immigration Service in its fight against irregular migration by improving the identification and examination of document fraud at the regional level.
“The sustainability of the project’s outcomes will be ensured by the provision of essential tools
and equipment,” she continued.
Naana Eyiah Quansah, the deputy minister of the interior, praised the International Center for Migration Policy and the Danish government for their years of continuous support of Ghana Immigration Service.
BY: APPIANIMAA MERCY
