Interior Minister Henry Quartey has issued a stern warning to immigration officials stationed at Kotoka International Airport, cautioning that any staff found assisting visitors will face immediate suspension from duty.
The warning came during Quartey's recent visit to the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) headquarters in Accra, where he emphasized the seriousness of such misconduct, labelling it as unprofessional.
Quartey urged officers to refrain from engaging in actions such as assisting friends at the airport, emphasizing that such behaviour undermines the integrity of the immigration service.
He instructed the GIS to take swift action against any officer found assisting passengers, stating that plainclothes officers would be deployed to monitor compliance.
Furthermore, Mr. Quartey stressed the importance of professionalism among GIS officers, particularly in light of the upcoming 2024 general elections. He highlighted the GIS's role in ensuring unbiased, free, and fair elections, urging officers to prioritize their duty to Ghana over any political affiliations.
In addition to upholding professionalism, Quartey underscored the necessity for strict border control to prevent the illegal entry of undocumented individuals, emphasizing the importance of maintaining national security.
At Ghana Immigration Service’s headquarters in Accra, only cash payment is accepted for visas. Prudential bank has a branch inside the GIS office, but it does not accept card.
The state of Ghana does not accept card payment(!).
You can, however, leave the building and walk five minutes to Prudential bank’s ATM and extract cash which you give to the Prudential bank people inside the immigration service office.
It goes without saying that this practice makes it possible to steal a portion of the visa money. This is probably done by approving the applications while discarding a part of them without entering them into the computer system.