The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has recorded a sharp rise in revenue, operational activity, and institutional reforms in the first year of leadership under Comptroller-General Samuel Basintale Amadu, generating more than GH¢546 million between March 2025 and March 2026.
In an official release issued on March 23, 2026, the Service described the performance as evidence of a renewed national push to strengthen border security, improve efficiency, and modernise operations. The statement, signed by Deputy Commissioner of Public Relations Maud Anima Quainoo, said the new administration was mandated to deepen intelligence-led enforcement, strengthen collaboration with other security agencies, and accelerate the digitalisation of visa and permit services.
According to the Service, reforms in visa and permit processing played a major role in boosting revenue. A total of 186,959 permits and visas were issued during the period a 32.5 percent increase compared to the previous year supported by investments in automation and digital infrastructure that reduced processing times and improved transparency.
Operationally, the GIS handled more than 2.8 million passenger movements across Ghana’s air, land, and sea entry points without major incidents, a development officials say supports the country’s tourism and investment ambitions.
Enforcement activities also intensified over the year. Coordinated operations involving national and regional units led to significant seizures of smuggled cocoa beans, narcotics, ammunition, and other contraband, all of which were handed over to the appropriate authorities. Interceptions included over 1,400 bags and containers of smuggled cocoa, nearly 1,400 packs of Tramadol, 725 rounds of ammunition, and several suspected narcotics consignments.
At border posts and checkpoints, 909 individuals were intercepted, while broader compliance operations involving more than 7,200 facility inspections resulted in the arrest of 3,533 people for immigration-related offences.
The Service also reported improvements in intelligence work and legal enforcement. It processed 666 intelligence requests in collaboration with partner agencies and secured 28 convictions out of 29 prosecuted cases, covering offences such as illegal entry, fraud, and cyber-related crimes. Meanwhile, the Document Fraud Expertise Centre reviewed 932 suspected cases, confirming more than one-third as fraudulent a sign of both the scale of document abuse and improved detection capacity.
Infrastructure expansion is underway in several major cities, including Tema, Kumasi, Tamale, Sunyani, Cape Coast, and Sekondi-Takoradi, as part of efforts to decentralise operations and improve working conditions for personnel nationwide.
International cooperation has also expanded through partnerships with the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre, and immigration authorities in Rwanda, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
Looking ahead, the GIS says it will continue implementing reforms focused on sustainability, innovation, and border protection, including the rollout of Project SECOBOR (Secure Our Borders), a public-private partnership designed to strengthen surveillance systems, logistics capacity, and border infrastructure.
