The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) says it is implementing a new integrated border management system known as “Immigration 360,” meant to fully automate passenger processing and data management at all 48 approved entry/exit points of the country and other operational commands.

The $94.6 million new border management system, it said, also seeks to address challenges with sovereignty, interoperability, and other inadequacies associated with the existing systems installed at 12 approved borders.

The GIS explains that as part of Phase One of the project, it is installing border management systems, including an e-Gate component at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra (KIA), which is geared at enhancing smooth passenger clearance and processing.

The Deputy Commissioner of Immigration (DCI) Special Duties/Public Affairs Department of the GIS, Maud Anima Quianoo, said the whole component at the KIA, comprising the immigration control systems and the e-Gates, costs $5.5 million.

The e-Gate system alone, comprising 15 units of e-Gates with accessories, which form part of the border management system being installed at KIA, costs $1.7 million.

Reacting to claims circulating on social media and other platforms suggesting that the e-Gates system deployed at the KIA costs the taxpayer $240 million, the GIS clarified in a statement that the $240 million referenced in the circulating article on social media was in relation to the whole cycle cost of the project, including the initial implementation cost of $94,664,374.57.

“The $240 million includes two periodic wholesale upgrades of the critical components of the system and the cost of maintenance and licenses over the 10-year cycle of the project. The first upgrade type is in three replacement cycles of key components of the system.

The second upgrade type is two (2) 5-year upgrade cycles within ten (10) years to replace major components of the technical infrastructure. This is to ensure a refresh of the system at all times and to ensure the hand back of a brand-new system at the end of the ten-year period,” the GIS press statement said.

It added that after accounting for Value Added Tax (VAT) and other taxes, the total came to $274 million, which includes maintenance and hands-on support services over a 10-year period to guarantee the system is operational around the clock.

“It is worth noting that Immigration 360 provides the benefits of integrating seamlessly with local databases, which include Ghana’s National Identification System (NIS), Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), National Stop/Watch List, and international systems.

Namely, Interpol, ICAO’s Public Key Directory (PKD), Advanced Passenger Information (API), Passenger Name Record (PNR), and Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES), which facilitate travel, trade, and security.

Concluding, the GIS said the system developed by Margins ID Systems Application Ltd, a private, local Ghanaian company, offers the capabilities to also integrate the various visas and permits issued by the GIS with the border control processes across the country.

“It is important to note that Margins ID Systems Application Ltd (MIDSA) is pre-financing the implementation cost of $94,664,374.57 and will be repaid from revenue that will accrue from the use of the system.”

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