In this article, I am going to give you a complete list of security agencies in Ghana, as well as other necessary information about these security agencies.
A security agency is a government organization that undertakes intelligence activities for the internal security of a country.
They are the domestic relatives of foreign intelligence agencies, and they generally perform counterintelligence to disrupt the efforts of other nations’ foreign intelligence organizations.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the US government’s internal intelligence, security, and law enforcement agency, whereas the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a foreign intelligence institution that gathers information from other nations.
MI5 and MI6 in the United Kingdom share a similar relationship.
Depending on the country, the distinction between security agencies, national police, and gendarmerie organizations varies.
For example, in the United States, the FBI is a national police force, an internal security agency, and a counterintelligence organization.
List of Security Agencies in Ghana
- Ghana Police Service
Ghana’s principal law enforcement agency is the Ghana Police Service (GPS). The Ghanaian Ministry of the Interior controls the service, which employs over 30,000 personnel throughout 651 stations.
The current leader of the Ghana Police Service is Inspector General of Police (IGP) George Akuffo Dampare.
The Ghana Police Service works in twelve divisions: ten covering the 10 districts of Ghana, one devoted exclusively to the seaport and industrial centre of Tema, and the twelfth being the Railways, Ports and Harbours Division.
An extra component, the Marine Police Unit, exists to manage concerns that emerge from the country’s offshore oil and gas business.
The Ghana Police Service is a single cohesive unit with a unified command under the leadership of the Inspector General of Police [IGP], who is responsible for exercising general day-to-day supervision and control over the Administration and Operation of the Police Service, subject to any direction/directives from the Police Council.
The Ghana Police Service, which is organized in a relatively compact yet flexible manner, strives to fulfill its objective at all times.
The service’s primary functions are as follows:
The safety and security of people and their belongings
Crime prevention and detection
Offenders are apprehended and prosecuted.
Peace and order must be maintained.
All laws, acts, decrees, and other rules with which it is directly tasked are enforced.
Contact: 18555
For general inquiries, recruiting inquiries, and press inquiries, call: +233 302 773906, or
+233 302 787373.
Facebook: Ghana Police Service
https://web.facebook.com/GhPoliceService?_rdc=1&_rdr
Twitter:@GhPoliceService
https://twitter.com/GhPoliceService?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:https://police.gov.gh/en/
2. Ghana Immigration Service
The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) is a government of Ghana body that reports to the Ministry of the Interior.
The GIS oversees the assessment and approval of visa, entrance, and resident permit applications in Ghana.
Foreign nationals in Ghana are under strict control. Processing of Ghanaian passport applications, border control and administration, and refugee registration, protection, and management are all made easier.
The service provides guidance on and guarantees the efficient application of all immigration and associated laws and regulations.
Their headquarters is located at Independence Avenue, Accra.
The following are their contact numbers:
Front Desk/Reception: +233 (0)302-224445 / 221667 / 674125 / 213401
Comptroller-General’s Secretariat: +233(0)302-258250
Fax: +233(0)302- 258249
Kotoka International Airport (KIA): +233 (0)302-776171 / 777401 / 762616
Enforcement: +233 (0)302-685007 / 665874 / 685004 / 685000
Tema: +233 (0)303-206656 / 212115 / 202552
Digital Address: GA-110-4188
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: https://home.gis.gov.gh/
3. Ghana Armed Forces
The Ghana Military Forces (GAF) are Ghana’s unified armed forces, which include the Ghana Army, Ghana Navy, and Ghana Air Force.
The Ghana Armed Forces is made up of three decentralized services, the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force.
The President of Ghana, who is also the top military commander of the Border Guard Unit, is the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces (BGU).
The Minister of Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff are in charge of the armed forces.
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) are a volunteer army under the Ministry of Defense of Ghana, according to the Republic of Ghana’s constitution of 1992.
Location: General Headquarters, Burma Camp, Accra
Contact: +233302774511
Twitter: @GhArmedForces
https://twitter.com/GhArmedForces?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Website: https://gafonline.mil.gh/
4. Bureau of National Investigations
Ghana’s internal intelligence agency is the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).
The BNI is a key component of Ghana’s National Security Council, which is in charge of counterintelligence and internal security.
The BNI has investigative authority over a wide variety of criminal offenses, including the arrest, detention, and interrogation of suspects.
The Bureau of National Investigations’ responsibilities include dealing with organized crime and financial crime, espionage, sabotage, terrorism, hijacking, piracy, and drug trafficking, as well as providing intelligence to counter threats to Ghana’s national security.
It also performs such other functions as the President or the council may direct.
The BNI is a formal creation of the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act (Act 526) 1996, which has been continued in existence by the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act (Act 526) 1997.
Contact: 054 303 6335
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/Ghana-Bureau-of-National-Investigation-411335602714970/
5. Narcotics Control Board
The Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) is a Ghanaian ministry of the interior organization.
It is the government agency in charge of enacting and enforcing the country’s drugs legislation. The board’s work focuses on combating narcotics usage, import, and export.
In 1990, Ghana’s government passed the Narcotics Drugs (Control, Enforcement, and Sanctions) Law, 1990/PNDC Act 236. (PNDCL 236).
The Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), now known as the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), was established in November 1990 as the central coordinating body for dealing with the rising incidence of drug abuses in the country and the threatening dimensions that illicit drug trafficking had taken globally, sub-regionally, and nationally under Section 55 of PNDCL 236.
Contact: +233 302 761028, +233 302 761065
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: https://www.mint.gov.gh/agencies/narcotic-control-board/
6. Border Guard Unit
The Border Guard Unit (acronym: BGU) is a national security and paramilitary unit of the Ghana Revenue Authority’s Customs Excise and Preventive Service Division and the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
BGU was founded in October 1964 with the primary mission of guarding Ghana’s international borders and preventing trans-border crime during peacetime.
The Border Guard Squad was established in October 1964 as a police unit overseen by an associate commissioner of police.
The BGU served as customs officers, inspecting passengers and luggage on ships and planes.
The BGU was re-integrated as a military force into the Customs Excise and Preventive Service in 1988.
BGU develops and implements effective methods and programs to help individuals pass Ghana’s international borders more easily.
Contact: +233 302 224 445/ +233 302 213 401/ +233 302 226 731
Website: https://home.gis.gov.gh/border-patrol-unit/
7. Ghana National Fire and Rescue Service
Ghana’s national fire service is the Ghana National Fire and Rescue Service (GNFRS), which is part of the Ghanaian Ministry of the Interior.
It was formed under Act 219 to extinguish fires and provide humanitarian services, and it was re-established in 1997 under Act 537 with the wider goal of preventing and managing unwanted fires and other associated concerns.
This includes inspecting high-rise and commercial buildings for fire engineering, organizing and educating the public about fire threats, road traffic extrication, and other related issues.
Contact: 0302772446, 0299340383, 192
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/GhanaNationalFireService/?_rdc=1&_rdr
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: https://www.gnfs.gov.gh/