Tema (Greater Accra), 9 March ’99 –
Aliens registration certificates, to be issued during the on-going registration of foreigners, are not resident permits. Mr Gilbert Jackson Kuofie, Tema District Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) acknowledged that some of the aliens may be confused about the exercise, “but they must be able to draw a clear distinction between the two documents,” adding that aliens with resident permits are also required to register. Mr Kuofie said the exercise should not be seen as a witch hunting exercise against aliens. “It is only meant to keep records on aliens in the country at any given time”. He said the registration form costs 10,000 cedis while the aliens registration certificate, a small green booklet issued on submission of the form costs 20,000 cedis. The law requires that aliens renew their registration annually. As at the close of today only two foreigners, an Indian and Ukrainian had completed the registration process while five others have collected registration forms. Mr Kuofie said most aliens were not anxious to register because there is no deadline for the exercise. Mrs Olena Asare, an Ukrainian described the exercise as good, since the certificates will provide answers to some of the questions asked by the police at check points.
