The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has announced plans to embark on a targeted enforcement operation across the Greater Accra Region this week, in what authorities describe as an effort to rescue vulnerable persons from exploitative begging networks and clamp down on undocumented migrants.
The exercise was disclosed in a statement signed by Deputy Commissioner of Immigration, Maud Anima Quainoo, of the Public Affairs Department. It follows what the Service described as a successful earlier operation, although no details were provided.
The planned sweep is expected to focus on children and other distressed individuals believed to be caught in organised begging rings, while also targeting foreign nationals found to be operating outside Ghana’s immigration laws.
The move draws legal backing from the Beggars and Destitute Act, 1969 (NLCD 392), which permits the arrest, without warrant, of persons found begging or loitering for that purpose. Offenders, upon conviction, may face a fine or a custodial sentence, or both.
However, the law provides exemptions. Persons soliciting for alms as part of recognised religious or community customs, public charitable causes, or organised entertainment are not deemed to be engaging in begging. The provisions also exclude juveniles and authorised collectors under the Public Collections Act, 1961 (Act 59).
While this is not the first such operation by the GIS, the latest announcement underscores renewed efforts to address street begging and irregular migration in the capital.
“This operation is an effort to highlight the Service’s commitment to protecting vulnerable Ghanaians, combating human trafficking, and maintaining orderly public spaces,” the statement noted.
The GIS declined to disclose specific locations or timelines for the exercise, citing the need to preserve “operational integrity” and ensure the safety of those involved — a position that, while operationally justifiable, constrains pre-emptive public oversight.
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