The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has announced the implementation of a new integrated border management system known as “Immigration 360.” This advanced system aims to fully automate passenger processing and data management at all 48 approved entry and exit points across the country, as well as other operational commands.
The $94.6 million Immigration 360 project addresses challenges related to sovereignty, interoperability, and other inadequacies associated with the existing systems installed at 12 approved borders. As part of Phase One of the project, border management systems, including an e-Gate component, are being installed at Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Accra to enhance smooth passenger clearance and processing.
Deputy Commissioner of Immigration (DCI) Special Duties/Public Affairs Department of the GIS, Maud Anima Quianoo, stated that the entire component at KIA, including the immigration control systems and the e-gates, costs $5.5 million. The e-Gate system alone, comprising 15 units of e-Gates with accessories, is valued at $1.7 million.
In response to claims circulating on social media and other platforms suggesting that the e-Gates System at KIA costs taxpayers $240 million, the GIS clarified that the $240 million referenced in the circulating article pertains to the total project cost over its entire cycle, including the initial implementation cost of $94,664,374.57.
“The $240 million includes two periodic wholesale upgrades of the critical components of the system and the cost of maintenance and licenses over the 10-year cycle of the project. The first upgrade type includes three replacement cycles of key system components. The second upgrade type involves two five-year upgrade cycles within ten years to replace major components of the technical infrastructure, ensuring a refreshed system at all times and the handover of a brand-new system at the end of the ten-year period,” the GIS press statement explained.
After accounting for Value Added Tax (VAT) and other taxes, the total project cost amounts to $274 million, which includes maintenance and hands-on support services over a 10-year period to ensure continuous operation of the system.
The GIS highlighted that Immigration 360 seamlessly integrates with local databases, including Ghana’s National Identification System (NIS), Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), National Stop/Watch List, and international systems such as Interpol, ICAO’s Public Key Directory (PKD), Advanced Passenger Information (API), Passenger Name Record (PNR), and the Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES). These integrations facilitate travel, trade, and security.
The GIS concluded by noting that the system, developed by Margins ID Systems Application Ltd, a private, local Ghanaian company, also has the capability to integrate various visas and permits issued by the GIS with border control processes across the country. It was emphasized that Margins ID Systems Application Ltd (MIDSA) is pre-financing the implementation cost of $94,664,374.57 and will be repaid from revenue generated from the use of the system.
