The Aflao Sector Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI) Mr Frederick Baah Duodu, has commended international organisations for the support given to the GIS over the years in training and equipping personnel to be able to meet the changing global security needs in the discharge of their mandates at the Aflao border.
ACI Duodu said the International Centre for Safe Migration (ICSM) and their United Nations (UN) partner, the United Nations
African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (UN-IDEP) for their sponsorship of the three weeks workshop on Community Engagement and Policing (CEP) as well as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) for developing the modules for the training programme.
The Aflao Sector Commander of the GIS, who gave the commendation at the closing ceremony of the three weeks training workshop for personnel of the sector at Aflao on Monday, said due to the high interest shown by officers who did not benefit from the training, it would be more appropriate for ICSM and their partners to expand the training in
order to cover all officers at the command.
ACI Doudu indicated that it was crucial for officers to regularly update their knowledge on the globally changing trend on migration to enable them to operate more effectively, and asked the beneficiary officers to let their new skills and knowledge to bear on their activities to bring the needed transformation.
He believed that the border communities would appreciate the efforts the officers would put in the discharge of their duties, which would ensure an improved community relations with the GIS and enhance general security in border communities as they would understand that security was a shared responsibility of all stakeholders.
The Public Affairs Officer of the Aflao Sector Command of the GIS, Deputy Superintendent of Immigration (DSI), Mr Justice Kudzo Normeshie, who also doubled as ICSM training coordinator, stated he was hopeful that the intensive training programme had prepared the officers adequately to bring the needed change as the Command made efforts to have all officers trained under the programme.
DSI Normeshie also added that the comprehensive training programme had exposed the participants to new skills and knowledge in Community Preventive Forum (CPF) as well as dialogue concepts that would strengthen collaboration between residents of border communities and the officers of the GIS.
He assured traditional authorities that the three week training programme had sufficiently equipped the officers to deepen trust, aid prompt and effective conflict resolution, while encouraging community participation in border security management.
The Queen mothers of Aflao-Teshie and Zigakope, Mama Xadenya II and Mama Tokade, commended the Aflao Sector Commander, ACI Duodu, for his transformational leadership, which had improved good relationship between the residents of the border communities and the personnel of the GIS and assured him that leaders of the border communities would play their respective roles to complement the activities of the GIS.
The participants were taken through modules including , introduction to community policing, community policing and peace building, organisational and conflict resolution skills, problem solving and partnership, gender equality and protection from sexual exploitation, transitional organised crimes, community safety plan and community safety initiatives, culture and religious orientation and GIS code of conduct and reporting mechanisms, among others.
The facilitators of the three weeks workshop are Inspector Sonia Atiboly, Inspector Jude Adafia, Inspector Samuel Hafudza, Inspector Ebenezer Bampoe, DSI Justice Kudzo Normeshie, Assistant Inspector Abigail Asabea Ababia, Assistant Immigration Control Officer Grade II (AICOII) Daniel Kpodzahor, AICOII Isaac Obeng and AICOII Samuel Dadzie.
FROM SAMUEL
AGBEWODE, AFLAO