The Ghana lmmigration Service (GIS) has undertaken a public sensitisation exercise in Tamale, as part of its education campaign on regular migration by people to avoid running into problem when they reach their final destinations.
As part of the campaign, personnel of the GIS embarked on a float through some principal streets of the Tamale Metropolis, where they stopped at various junctions to address the public on regular ways of migration.
They also carried placards some of which read “Travel with a valid travelling document,” “Let’s fight irregular migration together,” “Say no to human smuggling,” “Seek professional advice from GIS before traveling,” amongst others.
Deputy Commissioner of Migration, Dr Prosper Asima, the Northern Regional Commander of GIS, said the campaign formed part of the mandate of the Service to ensure that people traveled in a regular manner.
He said migration was not a bad phenomenon and advised members of the public that “if you want to migrate, you should migrate in a regular manner, you should have a genuine visa, a valid passport, and all other relevant documents so that when you appear at the point of destination, you will be accepted”.
He said despite efforts made to advise the citizens against irregular migration, the phenomenon was on the ascendancy, leaving some of the travelers dead on the desert and seas, and others being mistreated in other countries.
“We have the Migration Information Centre (MIC) here and one of its jobs is to help people, who are prospective travelers, to travel. And occasionally, we need to go out to the community to draw their attention that we are available and that they can make good use of us to reduce the irregular migration that is ongoing, “he said.
Dr Asima said about 15 people visited the MIC in a week to enquire about how to prepare to migrate, adding it was not enough, hence the public sensitisation campaign for more people to visit the office.
GNA
EA/CAA/AD
16 March
Caption: GIS personnel on the sensitisation campaign
