Security sector agencies sign MoA on integrated border management

General News on Friday, January 25, 2019

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

2019-01-25

The Ghana Police Service, the Narcotics Control Bureau, the National Investigation Bureau, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) have put in place a common strength to strengthen their cooperation for the protection of the country's borders and sustainable solutions to the security sector challenges that require the vision and commitment of multiple stakeholders.

State security agencies signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday, January 24, to enable them to establish standard operating procedures that would guide them in their respective functions.

At the ceremony in Accra, the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye, said that the agreement between the agencies would serve as a legal framework for the management of activities in the country's borders. .

He said that with emerging threats around the country's borders, no state security agency can function alone without success, though it's only joining forces with those of other organizations to counter this coercion.

Professor Mike Oquaye went further by noting that the rise of terrorism in neighboring countries was causing much concern, hence the need for collaboration to ensure the total safety of human lives.

"The rise of terrorism calls for major security concerns, which require global badistance to enhance border security and growth. Good governance would be ensured when our borders were safe and this partnership between our security agencies would be needed to guide and manage our security activities. " He stated.

GRA's customs commissioner, Isaac Crentsil, also said that the concept of Integrated Border Management (IBM) was one of the best approaches to address and facilitate border crossing activities.

He said that creating a national, regional and entry-level Boader safety committee would yield better results in the areas of cyber, land and maritime security in the country.

In the wake of recent terrorist attacks in neighboring Burkina Faso, Ghana has taken steps to strengthen security in the country, particularly at its borders.

The signing of the agreement is also part of the Security Governance Initiative (SGI), a US project aimed at addressing security issues in some African countries, including Ghana.

In 2014, the United States and six countries – Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Niger, Mali and Tunisia – agreed on partnerships to improve the security sector of their respective governments. To this end, the Security Governance Initiative (SIG) has been launched.

The approach focuses on partner country priorities where US aid can have the greatest impact and where it can complement and leverage other efforts in the country.