By Morkporkpor Anku
Accra, Nov. 16, GNA – Mr. Kwame Asuah Takyi, Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service, has called on neighbouring countries to increase efforts to prepare for and tackle urgent overlapping issues to strengthen regional cooperation.
He said there was also the need to increase efforts to enhance resilience and mitigate risks in border management.
Mr Takyi was speaking at the Regional Technical Conference on Regional Cooperation for Enhancing Resilience and Mitigating Risks in Border Management in Accra.
The Conference sought to bring together key Border Management stakeholders from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, and Togo, with participants from Benin as observers.
It is to discuss and exchange ideas on enhancing regional cooperation and coordination on border management and security, to enhance the capacity of border management agencies and other relevant stakeholders in the region to effectively manage borders and improve border security.
He said the Conference was an important milestone in the efforts to drive forward regional cooperation and coordination on border management and security in the regions.
“Coordinated action to address shared challenges has become even more important in the quest to ensure national security, facilitating trade, and promoting regional integration,” he added.
He said the current security happenings in the Sahelian states had further highlighted the vulnerabilities and risks faced by them.
“It threatens our socio-political and economic security with migratory flows, disruption in trade activities due to closure of borders and the influx of migrants displaced by violence,” he said.
The Comptroller-General said these multiple and overlapping issues posed serious challenges in maintaining the peace and stability required.
He said there was a need to advance the regional cooperation and coordination in the border management agenda.
“Regional cooperation and coordination can provide valuable support to national and regional border management efforts in the short-term while also enabling us to lay the foundations for a more resilient, inclusive, sustainable and stronger sub-region,” he added.
He said driving greater regional cooperation for enhancing resilience and mitigating risks in border management forward into the next phase required strong leadership to manage and secure the borders
by working together through this platform, “we can both deliver on this agenda and move the region’s cooperation and integration into the next phase.”
Mr Takyi said Ghana was committed to supporting stronger regional cooperation every step of the way and together they could deliver the vision of having a well-coordinated, integrated, sustainable and inclusive future for all in the management of borders in the interest of their respective countries.
Madam Mojisola Sodeinde, Head of Region, West Africa · International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), said the event signified the commitment to effective migration management and border security in West Africa.
She said the significance of effective border management could never be overstated and was impactful on national security, trade and regional unity.
“This multifaceted challenge necessitates a unified and collaborative approach of all parties involved,” she added.
Madam Sodeinde said the workshop signified a progressive strive towards strengthening migration management and border security in Ghana.
It formed part of a strategic initiative under the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, known as the Strengthening Border Security in Ghana (SBS-Ghana) and the Danish-supported Strengthening Border and Migration Management in Ghana.
These initiatives reflect the collective resolve towards a safer and more secure future.
She expressed the ICMPD’s gratitude to the EU and the Danish government for their commitment to border security in the sub-region.
Ms Anna Lixi, Team Leader, Governance and Security, Delegation of the European Union in Ghana, said the discussions would revolve around current challenges, opportunities, and the role of regional cooperation in enhancing border management.
She said the EU understood the urgency of knowledge exchange and the importance of sharing good practices to mitigate risks and fortify collective resilience.
She said as part of their commitment to strengthening partnership and cooperation with partner countries.
GNA