The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has begun preparations to transform its Academy and Training School at Assin Fosu into a Sub-regional Training Centre for its officers.

Besides, the GIS Training School has already trained 150 recruits for the Liberian Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization.

Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur announced this at the Graduation Parade of the GIS Cadet Intake VII at its Academy at Assin Fosu in the Central Region.

The 96 officers who graduated, including four Liberian Immigration officers, have undergone six months of intensive training in a combination of physical, drill, musketry, academic and professional courses designed to equip them with skills to pursue their career.

Ms Joyce Mawuena Adjah was adjudged the Overall Best Cadet Officer for the GIS Intake VII programme. She also won the award for the Best in Drills, female category, as well as the Best in Academics.

Francis K. Apau won the award for the Best in Drills, male category while the Most Disciplined Cadet award went to Justice Dzifa Akpedonu. The Best International Cadet went to Prince Ndoma Boakai of Liberia.

Vice President Amissah-Arthur said the Immigration Academy trained and prepared officers for future leadership and command of the GIS.

He reminded the graduands that, as young officers, they would be assessed both by their superiors and subordinates adding that their assessment would influence the confidence their superiors and subordinates would have in them.

“Graduating from the Academy is only the initial step in the career progression of an officer. Continuous training and development schemes are required to prepare for the real challenges of command and leadership that lie ahead. It is these training development schemes that will prepare you to take over the leadership of the GIS in future,” he said.

Vice President Amissah-Arthur said GIS was a key agent required to secure the country’s borders and frontiers in order to ensure that immigrants complied with the residence and employment laws.

He said the new Ghana Investment Promotion Act, 2013, (Act 865), had become operational and had far-reaching implications for immigration enforcement as thresholds for investments and immigrant quotas had been reviewed.

He charged the Immigration Service to ensure that companies did not circumvent the new law but to comply with the requirements.

Mr Amissah-Arthur said Government was concerned about the employment of expatriates when Ghanaians could provide those services locally.

He said the new Act was intended to confront such issues and explicitly provided that citizens of Ghana were given the first option when employment was being considered.

He said the GIS and all stakeholder agencies must ensure strict compliance with the essential provisions of the Act so as not to undermine its employment objective.