The central government of Ghana is responsible for the provision of stable peace and stability in the country. However, it is imperative for you to know the kind of security agencies involved in this. The list of security agencies in Ghana and their relevance are what you are about to read in this interesting blog post.
Consequently, the Ghana government has done the needful to establish, task, and fund the security agencies with the support of the laws of the land.
Below is the detailed list of security agencies in Ghana.
The Ghana Police service
The Police Service is a national security agency subjected to the command of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) who is, in turn, answerable to any direction/directives from the Police Council of Ghana.
The Ghana Police Service has its motto of “Service with Integrity”. Basically, the functions of the Ghana Police Service as being stated in the Police Service Act, 1970 [Act 350] of Ghana are as follows;
- Responsible for adequate crime detection and prevention
- In charge of unwavering apprehension [arrest] and prosecution of offenders
- Involved in ethical maintenance of law and order.
- Concerned with professional enforcement of the law
The Ghana Armed forces
The Ghana Armed Forces is a unified agency that constitutes; the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. The president of Ghana is the Commander-in-Chief of Ghana and also the supreme military commander of the Border Guard Unit.
However, the Gold Coast Constabulary was established by personnel of the Hausa Constabulary of Southern Nigeria in 1879, to perform explicit internal security and police duties in the British colony of the Gold Coast. In light of this, the regiment was able to independently earn its first battle honour as part of the Ashanti campaign.
The Ghana Customs Excise and Preventive service
The Customs Excise and Preventive Service are tasked with the sole responsibility for the enforcement, regulation, and inspection of exports into Ghana including border patrol. It is the Ghana security agency entrusted with the Revenue Authority which is responsible for the collection of taxes.
The Ghana Immigration service
The agency was established under PNDC Law 226 in 1989. The Ghana Immigration Service is the only institution with the statutory mandate and is charged with the responsibility to monitor and oversee the entry, residence, employment and exit of foreigners in the country.
The Ghana National Fire service.
Ghana National Fire Service is an agency under the command of the Ghana National Fire and Rescue Service, an agency that is regulated by the Ghanian Ministry of the Interior. Its only responsibility is to deal with fire-related cases.
The Ghana Prison service.
The Ghana prison agency is under the ministry of interior and it is responsible for all the prisons housing and sentenced offenders.
What are the roles of Security Agencies in Ghana?
The security agencies in Ghana are solely involved with the national security of the country. However, National security is the safekeeping of the nation as a whole. The main concept of the National security service discharged by the agencies is the protection of the nation and its people from attack and other external dangers.
The concept is ascertained by steadily maintaining armed forces and guarding state secrets.
Furthermore, the national security service enforced by security agencies in Ghana entails both national defence and the protection of a series of geopolitical, economic, and other government interests.
They are to preserve the safety of the country and protect the credibility of the nation’s domestic institutions and systems vital to that purpose.
Then safety preservation goal requires strong, active, and Reserve forces as well as effective intelligence.
Moreover, law enforcement, counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, and immigration policies must be reinforced to protect the homeland and secure Ghana’s borders.
“For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security.”
– Thomas Jefferson.
How relevant are security agencies in Ghana?
Security is an inevitable aspect of life that everyone in the world is always concerned about.
Meanwhile, in a time when all the security data in Ghana is easily available on the internet, it becomes pertinent and necessary to pay special attention to every detail. In this case, there has been an organized system for security agencies with their respective contribution to keeping Ghana secure as a whole.
The security of the citizens of Ghana is always the top priority of the security agencies which explains their keen focus on monitoring and controlling the crime rate in the country.
Moreso, since there are many threats Ghana as a nation and its principles can face from intrinsic and extrinsic factors, the securities agencies are on standby to repel such threats.
Ultimately, security agencies in Ghana create a procedure, concepts, and structures to prevent people and other assets at risk, los,t or criminal activities.
As an indispensable part of Ghana’s growth and peace maintenance, the security agencies are established to analyze threats and vulnerabilities of the nation, with the purpose to prevent those threats and reducing risks.
Challenges faced by security agencies in Ghana?
It is an imminently established fact that security is paramount for a stable democracy as well as flourishing development.
However, Security challenges are unsurprisingly common in both developing and developed countries.
What do you think about the comparison in the rate of security challenge between developed and less developed countries?
Basically, an historical and recent security challenge discovered in less developed countries suggests a wide and intriguing difference from developed countries.
Meanwhile, a study revealed that armed robbery, cyber fraud, ethnic conflicts, drug trafficking, and chieftaincy disputes are the major security challenges in Ghana.
“The very heart of being a sovereign nation is providing security of one’s borders, of one’s internal situation, and security against anyone attacking one’s nation. That is the very heart of what I believe is sovereignty” -John Warner
The statement above is reassuring that no matter the challenges security agencies encounter, the nation will proffer a lasting solution to preserve its sovereignty.
Conclusively, security agencies in Ghana are predominantly integral to the development and independence of the nation. Thinking of unrelenting protection of lives and properties in Ghana? Pray for fewer challenges for the security agencies.
