Africa-Press – Ghana. The African Security Sector Network, a Pan African non-governmental organization (NGO), has called for an enhanced collaboration between the security agencies and traders along border towns in the Upper West Region.
This, the NGO, believes, would help build trust and facilitate smooth and peaceful trading activities in the areas thereby enhancing the informal economy in the region.
The NGO made the call during a stakeholders’ engagement with security agencies, traders, and traditional authorities in Lambussie.
The NGO, with funding support from the Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund, held the engagement with the aim of strengthening collaboration and building trust among security agencies, traders and local authorities, particularly along the borders in the Upper West Region.
The engagement brought together stakeholders from the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), local government officials, civil society organizations and traders from border communities in Hamile and Tumu, among others.
Dr. Emmanuel Sowatey, Senior Researcher for the African Security Sector Network, in an interview, said the engagement aimed to enhance dialogue between security agencies and informal traders in border towns and communities in the Upper West Region.
He noted that informal traders often bought a lot of goods and services from neighbouring countries into Ghana to sell but sometimes through unapproved routes due to mistrust and extortion concerns about the security agencies, particularly the customs and the immigration officers.
He said the dialogue process was necessary to help the traders and security understand and strengthen their relationships, especially within the confines of the law, build trust and confidence to enhance a peaceful environment for smooth trade and security within and across borders.
“We are, therefore, hoping that this engagement process will help foster an environment where the parties, especially the traders will voice out their opinions and clear misconceptions to bring meaningful change and impact to the development of Ghana as a whole”, he said.
Mr Naawulle Ireneous Basingbie, the Lambussie District Chief Executive, called for a peaceful collaboration between the traders and the security agencies so as to foster unity and a productive cordial relationship for an improved informal economy in the district.
“As Chairman of the Lambussie District Security Council (DISEC), I will also assure that stringent measures are put in place through engagement between both parties to ensure free flow of goods and services within and across the borders in the district,” he said.
Assistant Superintendent of Immigration, Boadu Ibrahim of the Ghana Immigration Service, speaking on behalf of the security agencies, said security agencies were mandated by law to patrol the borders across the country to ensure safety and security in the movement of goods and services.
Madam Issah Nafisah, a trader at the Hamile border, said the traders were compelled to use unapproved routes because of the inhumane treatment they go through at the borders.
She, however, acknowledged that the dialogue had helped clear some misconceptions they had about the security agencies and their operations along the borders and called for a continuous dialogue and engagements with the security agencies to help build trust and cordial relationship.
For More News And Analysis About Ghana Follow Africa-Press
