By: Alberta Asanewa Dwirah and Naomi Amissah
The Acting Chief Director of the Ministry of the Interior, Doreen Annan, has highlighted the need to adequately resource the legal offices of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to effectively respond to the complex and evolving challenges of public sector contracting.
She made the call at the opening of a three-day capacity-building workshop for legal officers of the GIS in Accra, stressing that sustaining the Service’s core mandate requires a strong legal framework supported by well-equipped professionals.
Mrs. Annan commended the leadership of GIS for initiating the programme, describing it as both timely and strategic. She emphasized that strong legal frameworks are critical in safeguarding the public interest and advancing national development.
“I commend the Ghana Immigration Service for this visionary initiative. In today’s governance landscape, such efforts are vital to protecting the public interest, preventing waste, and advancing national development. The Ministry fully supports this programme and hopes it serves as a model for other services under our mandate,” she added.
Comptroller-General of Immigration, Samuel Basintale Amadu, explained that the Service’s growing involvement in bilateral and multilateral agreements with international partners makes it essential for officers to stay abreast of evolving regulations. He noted that the training will enable GIS to ensure that all agreements and contracts are prepared in line with both national laws and international standards.
“As a public institution, the Ghana Immigration Service engages in numerous contracts, including bilateral and multilateral agreements with international organizations, as well as the procurement of goods and services. All of these require careful drafting. To keep pace with current trends and to comply with public procurement laws and financial management regulations, it is important that we bring our lawyers across the country up to speed,” he emphasized.
The training programme is designed to build the capacity of GIS’s legal and operational staff in contract management, procurement, and international agreements. It will cover all three directorates—Legal, Operations, and Finance & Administration—to ensure officers remain compliant with procurement laws, financial management regulations, and best practices in public administration. The Operations Directorate is expected to complete its training by mid-October, followed by the Finance and Administration Department.
