The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has launched its Community Engagement and Policing (CEP) Strategy, curriculum, and training manual, aimed at strengthening border governance and promoting collaborative community security.
The strategy represents a shift from traditional enforcement approaches, emphasising trust, cooperation, and partnership with communities, particularly in border and coastal areas, to address irregular migration, human trafficking, and other transnational crimes. It seeks to position community members as key allies in national security and development.
Speaking at the launch yesterday in Accra, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mr Samuel Basintale Amadu, during the unveiling of the CEP Strategy, curriculum, and training manual, acknowledged the support of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and development partners, including the German Federal Foreign Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whose technical and financial contributions helped develop the strategy and training materials.
The event coincided with International Migrants Day 2025, observed under the global theme: ‘Migrate: Stories, Cultures, and Development’.
He emphasised that sustainable border security relied on mutual trust and open communication with communities, adding that the CEP Strategy was a practical framework providing structured guidance for GIS officers.
Training of trainers workshops will be held early next year to ensure nationwide implementation, with the curriculum integrated into GIS training schools and the academy.
On behalf of IOM, Chief of Mission Ms Fatou Diallo Ndiaye congratulated GIS and its partners, noting that the strategy strengthens community-centred security and resilience, particularly in vulnerable border areas. She highlighted that integrating community perspectives into border governance reduces vulnerabilities and supports regional stability.
In his presentation on the CEP curriculum and training manual, ACP Kofi Asano explained that the programme was designed to strengthen collaboration and trust between communities and law enforcement. He said it emphasised proactive civic engagement, ensuring communities understood their role in supporting security while officers upheld human rights in a people-focused approach.
Again, he noted that the curriculum combined entry and post-entry training into a single framework, with certain modules reserved for senior officers.
He added that it consisted of 15 modules covering:
- community engagement,
- policing concepts,
- conflict resolution,
- gender equity,
- protection from sexual exploitation,
- transnational organised crime,
- referral mechanisms,
- project management,
- community safety planning,
- media and communication skills, and
- religious orientation.
Each module included objectives, duration, teaching methods, and continuous evaluation to ensure learning outcomes were met.
He also said the training manual expanded on the curriculum, providing detailed guidance for instructors while allowing flexibility based on participants’ backgrounds.
BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG
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