By Thomas Dixon
232News
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August last year, President Dr. Julius Maada Bio appointed Hon. Alusine Kanneh as Chief Immigration Officer.
The appointment of Hon. Alusine Kanneh as Chief Immigration Officer has been described as the right person for the right job.
Since his appointment, Hon. Alusine Kanneh has been fighting tooth and nail to transform the once moribund Immigration Department into a viable and fit for purpose institution.
To regain public trust in the Immigration Department, Hon. Alusine Kanneh is using his international contacts to help rehabilitate the five-storey Immigration Head Office on Gloucester Street in Central Freetown.
To regain public trust in the Immigration Department, Hon. Alusine Kanneh is using his international partners and contacts to help rehabilitate the five-storey Immigration Head Office on Gloucester Street in Central Freetown. The building has become a works yard. It is undergoing an overhaul.
Hon. Alusine Kanneh is providing international training opportunities for employees just to increase their professionalism. He has secured six brand new vehicles for the Immigration Department just to make it well suited to perform its designated role.
Speaking during the Government’s Press Conference past Tuesday 5th March, Hon. Alusine Kanneh spoke about the reforms he is instituting in the sector, including establishing immigration offices in Kenema, Bo, and Makeni, so citizens can apply for passports in those cities instead of coming to Freetown.
He also revealed that Post Offices in the regions will be reactivated to host the passport offices, adding that they are already in talks with Salpost to collaborate on how those in the regions will get their passport after application.
On the international stage, the CIO also said there will soon be having offices in Washington and London for passport processes and Sierra Leoneans living in those places would not need to go the embassies or use proxies.
On the protection of the borders of Sierra Leone, Hon. Kanneh revealed that in collaboration with IOM, they have introduced the Migration Information Data Analysis System (MIDAS), which enhances immigration to track any traveler leaving or entering the country.
The CIO made it very clear that the cost of a passport is pegged to the exchange rate and warned every citizen not to pay more than that at immigration.
He added that a service passport is meant for government officials who travel abroad to represent the government in official functions.
