The customs excise and preventive service and cross border crimes management: a case study of the eastern frontier of Ghana

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Date
2009-08-05
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Abstract
Ghana can boast of a vast sub-regional market of about 220 million people sharing cultural linkages across borders and having similar tastes. In order to benefit from such a huge market, the intensification of trade between Ghana and her neighbours is essential. At the community level, this commitment is seen in the persistent efforts by member states to ensure free movement of persons, goods and services across national borders. In Ghana, the institution responsible for the implementation of free movement and trade facilitation is the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS). Over the years, cross border criminal activities have become a hindrance to free movement and trade. This is especially so along the Eastern Frontier of Ghana, which stretches from the border with Togo at Aflao to the fringes of northern Volta at Tinjase. The porous border here however, continuous to engender cross border crime and instability in the country owing to the lack of appropriate mechanisms for monitoring illegal cross border activities. Consequently, violent Cross border criminal activities such as Drug trafficking, Arms trafficking, Human trafficking, Armed robbery and Vehicle theft as well as non-violent ones like Textile smuggling, Vehicle smuggling, Fuel/Cocoa smuggling, Cyber fraud, Money Laundering and Counterfeit/Piracy are on the rise in this area in spite of the efforts of CEPS a frontline agency in managing these activities. Open-ended interviews with Heads of border security agencies such as CEPS, Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), Police Service and the National Security Ministry working in this area revealed the enormity of the problem. The negative socio-political and economic impact of cross border criminal activities in Ghana call for effective mechanisms to manage them. Hence, adopting sub-regional and complementary national control strategies will help to reduce the impact of cross border crimes. Effective options lie in a concerted effort at the sub-regional level between governmental and non-governmental agencies to combat cross border crimes. Appropriate national legislative and regulatory actions, to upgrade skills in investigative and enforcement techniques, and addressing corruption within government security agencies in order to avoid complicit acts by government and security agencies.
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A Thesis submitted to the Institute of Distance Learning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Commonwealth Executive Master of Business Administration (CEMBA).
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