AYV News, November 6, 2023

Experts from the International Organizations for Migration (IOM) have updated the Chief Immigration Officer (CIO), Hon. Alusine Kanneh on the installation of Migration Information and data Analysis System (MIDAS) at the Gbalamuya border-crossing-point between Sierra Leone and Guinea.

According to the National Project Officer, IOM Sierra Leone, George Tucker, MIDAS is a technology system that has been installed to take a database on all travelers in and out of Sierra Leone through the Sierra Leone-Guinea-border crossing-point.

The IOM National Project Officer for Sierra Leone informed the Chief Immigration Officer that the Steering Committee Meeting was the 8th Session of Committee Meeting that comprises agencies that have been working closely with regards to the Internal Development Fund (IDF) project within IOM.

He continued the project has two components, explaining that one has been centered on the MIDAS which is Migration Information and Data Analysis System that the project seeks to see how best they could support the Immigration Department to have that set-up at Gbalamuya and at the Headquarters.

The IOM National Project Officer continued that another components of the project they are doing is to see how best they could continue to support to develop the Integrated Border Management Strategies for Sierra Leone and which as is a component that has already been in place and they to stage wherein they are in the stage of reviewing the document of the Integrated Border Management Strategy with Office of the National Security, Immigration Department and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“So these two components comprise an IDF project which is supported by the IOM Internal development format. Currently, we normally have this meeting as a Steering Committee to update partners on key areas of the project improvement and activities that have been accomplished and also to receive a feel back on how we could proceed with regards to implementation of the project” he updated the CIO.

He disclosed that the project is a two-year project at some point in January when it comes to its conclusion of 2024. So, in that case, he added with these two components they are seeing more especially, in the MIDAS area the installation has been almost completed and within the same project they do have a project of Border Management Strategies in which they are also in discussions with ONS to see how best the document could be reviewed and adopted as a national document when it comes to integrated border management for Sierra Leone.

“CIO we are here currently today to give you an update on these two components and also to receive feel back from the team on the way forward and on what we should and also listed to the technical team from the Immigration Department, ONS and the Ministry of Internal Affairs what they think as a project we should do in achieving these two key projects of Government and to see how far we are” he highlighted.

Given a brief background of the two projects, Harrison Freeman, IOM Information Technology and Communication Officer for Liberia, said the MIDAS system is a Migrants Information and Data Analysis System developed by International Organizations for Migration and is a border management information system which is geared towards IOM countries to be able to capture traveler’s information entry and exit.

He pointed out that it can also be used as security tools because there is a component connected to Interpol or the country has a national criminal database that can also be connected to that database. He explained that if a traveler arrives at a border and the travel document is skimmed and while it is skimmed and has been bordering on Interpol and if it is connected to the national database and this person is wanted based on the travel document the system can easily detect, that person is a criminal.

“So next we will send the person in the secondary inspection officer and then based on what the SOT has been determined by either the electric agency and an officer that he can make decisions on what to do next and MIDAS is purely intercepting wanted people that are crossing borders” he explained.

From his side, the Chief Immigration Officer welcomed the Team and appreciated them so much for completing the project. He said to him, it was a welcoming idea; it is good for the nation. He intimated that it is good for the Immigration Department and it was something that he has seen practiced overseas, noting that over the years he has seen discussions to kick start the projects but stressed that there were challenges but now just taking over the Immigration Department in less than two months he was proud that the project has been installed.

He remembered that recently, when the Head of IOM in Sierra Leone visited him, these were one of the discussions and he is happy that MIDAS is now operating at Gbalamuya. He also pleaded that the team install the same at the Freetown International Airport and also Sierra Leone-Liberia-Border.

He recalled that, days ago at the Freetown International Airport, the APS intercepted a Guinean national traveling with three children and were traveling with the Turkish Airlines but he produced a fake resident permit in France and then APS detected that. Bringing this issue to the knowledge of the IOM Technical Team, he said it is for them to know criminals have so many ways to beat a system.

Hon. Alusine Kanneh encouraged them to be vigilant and make sure that the system is current and ready at all times to capture everything they want.

“To me this is good, it is good for criminals. There are criminals who are in other countries that are causing a lot of problems carrying Sierra Leonean passports. I have gotten several calls that there are Nigerians in Turkey carrying Sierra Leonean passports claiming to be Sierra Leoneans but they are causing a lot of problems and giving a bad impression to the country. So now that we have this MIDAS at the Gbalamuya crossing point, I think we will start cramping down some of these criminals” he said.

He emphasized that the system also has to be installed at the Freetown International Airport and also at the Gendema crossing point between Sierra Leone and the Republic of Liberia. He reiterated that sometimes these are some of the things people have to take responsibilities on because it is for them as leaders that have to do the right thing for their citizens and for even the things they do, the day to day activities they are involved in.

He called on his staff to be sincere in implementing some of these good initiatives that he has brought into the Immigration Office and encouraged them to work with him so that the perception of people regarding the Immigration Department changes for the better.

The CIO sighted that having the system is not the thing however; he said implementing the system is the actual thing and is the most important thing. “You will implement all what you have but then what happens, what are the actions you gain that tomorrow you are actively doing what you implemented?” he said.