By Iddi Yire, GNA
Accra, Jan. 22, GNA - The National Border Fusion Centre at the Security Governance Initiative (SGI) Secretariat has been inaugurated in Accra.
The SGI is a partnership between the Government of Ghana and the United States aimed at improving the effectiveness of Ghana’s security sector and enabling the conditions for national prosperity.
Madam Kirsten D. Madison, the US Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), speaking at the inauguration of the Centre, said the US and Ghana shared common values of partnership and cooperation underpinned by the joint commitment to strengthening democratic institutions.
"And, as matters most, our countries and our citizens benefit from our deep partnership," she stated.
"At its core, government is intended to safeguard its citizens and to ensure the security of the nation. To carry out this mandate effectively, many different agencies must work together. This is hard - but essential- work. We know this in the US as you know it here."
Madam Madison, who noted that security agencies must have unified vision and strategy for securing national boarders, also said agencies must have joint protocols and procedures to leverage one another's comparative advantages in terms of legal authorities, expertise and capabilities.
Agencies must also have concrete mechanisms that enable them to share information and make sense of the bigger picture that could only be achieved by taking multiple perspectives into consideration.
She said one such mechanism had now been established - a result of leadership, planning and hardworking.
Madam Madison said the Border Fusion Centre, staffed by skilled analysts from multiple border-related agencies, was a place where interagency coordination would allow the Ghanaian government to synchronise its efforts and ultimately provide useful analysis for senior decision-makers.
She said under SGI, the US had provided more than $35 million to strengthen border, maritime, and cyber security, as well as to improve the administration of justice.
Of the total, the US provided more than $5.3 million toward border security alone, including by providing technical assistance, supporting study visits to the United States and Kenya, conducting trainings and workshops at the strategic and operational levels, and providing material support.
The US also provided specialised training to 23 analysts who would staff the Border Fusion Centre and help the facility.
Madam Madison, who formally donated the computer equipment needed to make the Border Fusion Centre operational, noted that "today feels like a big moment to me - one where we see our partnership taking a concrete and practical form".
"Of course, we have done much more together. In the past two years at the West Africa Regional Training Centre, we have trained more than 700 Ghanaian law enforcement and justice sector officials on a range of topics including border management, criminal investigations, anti-corruption, drug interdiction and cyber-crime," she said.
"This innovative facility emphasises Ghana's role as a regional leader and creates a platform for Ghanaian officials to collaborate with counterparts throughout West Africa.
She said the US was working with governments in the Sahel to develop accountable and stable security institutions while promoting human rights and good governance.
She applauded Ghana's leadership of the "Accra Initiative", which had improved information sharing and security sector coordination with Ghana's neighbours and which had resulted in several successful joint border operations.
"This is precisely the kind of international coordination that has to happen to meaningfully address regional security threats."
Madam Madison announced that the US Government would be providing an additional three million dollars in US foreign assistance funding to build upon the successes of their joint efforts to improve the capacity of law enforcement, promote the rule of law and the administration of justice and combat transnational financial crime.
Mr Albert Kan Dapaah, the National Security Minister, in a speech read on his behalf said Ghana's security sector had some existing gaps and that it was their conviction the National Border Fusion Centre would as pertains in other domains help to close these gaps.
He said the Centre would bring together several of the nation's intelligence and security agencies; notably the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), the research departments, the Ghana Immigration Service, the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Narcotic Control Board, Ghana Police Service, and several security agencies in the air, land and maritime domains under a single root to facilitate the sharing of information and intelligence in a timely manner.
Mr Dapaah said such coordination would help fight crimes such as human and drug trafficking, illegal migration, terrorism and many other transnational crimes.
Mr Dominic Nitiwul, Defence Minister, Mr Joshua Kyeremeh, the National Security Coordinator and Madam Stephanie S. Sullivan, the US Ambassador to Ghana were some of the dignitaries who attended the event.
GNA
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