By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has denied false claims making rounds on the various social media platforms that the recently commissioned Electronic Gates (E-Gates) at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), cost the Ghanaian taxpayer a whopping $240m, but rather the total cost of the project was $1.7m.
The denial was contained in a press statement issued on Thursday, December 19, 2024, in Accra. The statement stated emphatically that the installed E-gates at the KIA cost the nation $1.7m and not $240m as falsely claimed.
The statement further explained that the GIS is implementing a new integrated border management system known as the “Immigration 360”, at all of the nation’s entry points and seized the opportunity to present in detail various components and costs of the integrated border management system, which has the installation of the e-gates as a component of the system.
“It is inaccurate that the e-Gate system installed at the KIA cost a total amount of 240 million dollars.
The e-Gate system alone (comprising 15 units of e-Gates with accessories) which form part of the border management system being installed at KIA costs $1.7 million (i.e., $1,760,479.80).
The Ghana Immigration Service is implementing a new integrated border management system known as Immigration 360,” parts of the statement read.
According to GIS, the “Immigration 360” seeks to fully automate passenger processing and data management at all forty-eight (48) approved entry/exit points to Ghana and other operational commands. The new system, it reiterated, seeks to address challenges with sovereignty, interoperability, and other inadequacies associated with the existing systems installed at twelve (12) approved borders,” said the press release.
With regards to the $240m being mentioned, the GIS explained it is for the entire cost of phases one and two of the border management system at all of the nation’s 48 entry points, including installations, maintenance, licensing,g, and taxes.
“The $240 million referenced in the circulating article on social media is about the whole cycle cost of the project (including the initial implementation cost of $94,664,374.57).
The $240 million includes two (2) 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 is in three (3) replacement cycles of key components of the system. The second upgrade type is two (2) 5-year upgrade cycles within ten (10) years to replace major components of the technical infrastructure. This is to ensure a refresh of the system at all times and to ensure the handback of a brand-new system at the end of the ten-year period.
After accounting for VAT and other taxes, the total comes to $274 million, which includes maintenance and hands-on support services over ten years to guarantee the system is operational around the clock,” the statement said.
Find attached the statement:
