The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has announced massive promotions for about 446 Senior Officers to their next rank.

Also, 436 Junior Officers have earned promotions to their next ranks.

The promotion, among others, is to align heads of some departments, schedules, regional and sector commands to ranks commensurate with the positions they currently occupy and make provision for new vacancies, following the creation of new departments, sectors, sections and units, including Inland checkpoints.

The expansions form part of management’s move to enhance administration, deployment and operation at various Commands of the Service.

From an initial number of 14 Sectors, the Service currently operates 89, while Inland checkpoints have been increased from a total of six (6) to 58, in a bid to improve the operations of the Service.

Ten sections have been elevated to departments, bringing the number to 19, and a number of units have also been elevated to sections.

In the case of the junior officers, their promotion is expected to improve command and control, ensure discipline and boost morale in pursuit of professional migration management, secure borders and overall national security.

Approval, officers

This follows the approval by the Governing Council of the GIS in accordance with the Immigration Service Regulations, 2016 (L.I.2245), Regulations 17(5) (b).

Deputy Superintendent of Immigration Anita Wiredu-Mintah, the head of  the Sports Directorate of the Ghana Immigration Service, earns promotion to Superintendent

Following a proposal from the management of the GIS to the council, the latter, at its 26th Meeting, approved the promotion of eligible senior officers to their next rank.

The highest number of senior officers promoted were 223 Assistant Superintendents who have been promoted to Deputy Superintendents of Immigration.

Also, 85 Deputy Superintendents of Immigration (DSI) have been promoted to Superintendents while 51 Assistant Commissioners of Immigration (ACI) have been promoted to Deputy Commissioners of Immigration (DCOI) and 17 Chief Superintendents to Assistant Commissioners of Immigration.

 Motivation

Explaining the rationale for the massive promotion in a message to congratulate the officers, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kwame Asuah Takyi, said the management of the Service had, for some time, ensured that officers were promoted on time to curtail the demoralising situation of delayed ranks.

He said, that in this, as well as other promotions in recent years, all eligible officers had been promoted except those with disciplinary issues.

He stated that since he assumed office as the Comptroller-General of Immigration, management had ensured that no officer had stayed in his or her rank for more than four years.

“From 2017 to date, no officer has stayed on his or her rank for more than four years and quite recently, 70 eligible Senior Inspectors and Inspectors were promoted to the rank of Assistant Superintendents.

“It is also outstanding to note that since 2017, all backlog of promotions has been cleared; and gratifying to note that promotions in the GIS are based on eligibility,” the statement said.