The Minister of Interior, Henry Quartey, has commended officers of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) for their discipline and diligent efforts in executing their duties.
He gave the commendation during a durbar with officers at the national headquarters of the GIS yesterday. It served as an opportunity to familiarize himself with the operations of the Service on his assumption of officpe.
According to the Minister, he would rate the Service a 90% on the basis of its discipline and dutifulness.
“Your professionalism and effectiveness were evident during the ‘Let’s Make Accra Work Again campaign’,” the Minister indicated.
Mr Quartey, who is also the Member of Parliament for Ayawaso Central, recounted several developments in the Service, including infrastructural expansions and logistical improvements.
He also applauded the government and his predecessor, Ambrose Dery, for the massive retooling of the Service and other security agencies.
He assured that he would continue from where the former Minister reached, and see to the continuous advancement of the Service.
Caution
The Minister cautioned the officers to serve God and the country with professionalism. “We are relying on you to perform your professional duties before, during and after elections in all fairness and transparency,” he stressed.
He charged the officers to work as professionals, and eschew partisan politics, especially as momentum builds up towards election 2024.
For his part, the Comptroller-General of GIS, Kwame Asuah Takyi, welcomed the Minister back to the sector, recalling his impressive contribution as Deputy Minister of Interior between 2017 and 2019.
Mr. Takyi said the Service was faced with an enormous duty, and was up to the task in protecting the territorial integrity of Ghana as a first line of defence.
The CGI apprised the Minister of recent happenings in the Service, including the establishment of a Centre of Excellence and the acquisition of an 84-unit residential accommodation at South Odorkor, which are yet to be commissioned.
“Also worthy of mention is the Immigration Mid-Country Training School at Tepa in the Ashanti Region and the Immigration Tactical Training School located at Kyebi,” he mentioned.
He also briefed the Minister on the creation of new inland checkpoints to regulate the movement of foreign nationals and new sectors that bring the Immigration to the doorstep of Ghanaian residents.
“Even though the Service is not officially recognized as a revenue-generating institution, we have consistently exceeded our revenue targets,” he added.
He congratulated Mr Quartey on his exploits as the Greater Accra Regional Minister. He expressed optimism that the Minister would provide the necessary leadership in realizing most, if not all, of the strategic objectives of the Service as projected in the 2023-2029 Strategic Plan.
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