The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has rubbished reports in the media that it had cancelled the issuance of emergency entry visa to some category of foreign nationals.
According to the service, “it has not suspended the issuance of emergency entry visas to any category of persons.”
The Emergency Visa policy was introduced by the Ghana Immigration Service to cater for visitors and businessmen and women who travel at short notice from countries where Ghana has no mission or consulate.
In a statement signed by the Acting Head of Public Affairs, GIS, DSI Amoako-Atta, the service called for calm among the citizenry and urged the general public and stakeholders to contact the service for clarity of issues.
“The GIS has noted that the information has created some anxiety and apprehension within the general public and the business community.
“The GIS continues to issue emergency entry visas to all foreign nationals in accordance with the conditions outlined in regulation 4 of the Immigration Regulations, 2000 LI 1691,” the statement read.
Minister on cancellation Emergency Visa
The Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr Kofi Dzamesi, during his address at a durbar organised for chiefs in galamsey-prone areas at the Kwahu Mpraeso Traditional Council hall, stated that the arrival visa privilege for Chinese nationals had been cancelled.
This initiative, the minister explained, was one of the measures to fight illegal mining, also known as galamsey, in the country.
“The Chinese nationals come to the country to engage in galamsey, they defaecate into our rivers and pollute our rivers through illegal mining, but now, the arrival visa which the former government granted the Chinese has been cancelled, so if you are a Chinese national and you come to Ghana without visa, you will go back to your China land.
“After all when we go to China, they don’t give us arrival visa, so why should we give them arrival visa? Arrival visa has been cancelled. Any Chinese who wants to come to Ghana should go to Beijing, to Ghana’s Embassy, to apply for visa so that we scrutinise why that person wants to come to Ghana,” he said.
He said the government was bent on fighting galamsey or illegal mining, adding a team of trained Navy officers would also be dispatched to patrol all the river bodies in the country.
According to him, priority will be given to areas where illegal mining is rampant when it comes to the implementation of the ‘One-District-One Factory’ programme to create jobs for the youth.
Mr Dzamesi also revealed that the committee had recommended the inclusion of Google Search Map in the digital search system which was recently launched by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to help locate miners who work at night, while a team of trained Navy officers would also be dispatched to patrol all the river bodies in the country.
He noted that the youth, especially those in illegal mining, would be trained to use the right methods of mining.
Source: Daily Heritage
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