Moshi, Tanzania – The United Nations Migration Agency (IOM), in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security/ Repatriation and Departure Service (R&DS) and the Liberian Immigration Service (LIS), is organizing a five-day Training of Trainers (ToT) on Security Document and Fraud Detection in Moshi, Tanzania.
The training started yesterday (10/09) and will run until Friday (14/09). It is being carried out by IOM’s African Capacity Building Centre on Migration and Border Management (ACBC) in collaboration with expert trainers. Twelve immigration officers from the Liberian Immigration Services, as well as experts from the Netherlands, IOM’s ACBC team and counterparts from Tanzania, will take part.
In addition to classroom trainings and concrete work in the newly strengthened document fraud detection laboratory at the ACBC, field excursions are planned – including one to the “One Stop Border Post” (OSBP) in Holili at the Tanzanian-Kenyan border.
All officers participating in the event have already attended at least one previous training on the topic; the selection of the officers for the ToT course was based on their performance during this initial training, as well as on their specific work experiences within their services.
Dr. Qasim Sufi, IOM Chief of Mission in Tanzania, stressed that “IOM is very grateful to the Dutch donor and the Tanzanian Government for hosting ACBC and for their strong support to better manage migration on the African continent.”
“It is highly significant that such capacity enhancement courses take place on the African continent, facilitated by African experts. To support and boost intra-regional learning and exchange is one of the key characteristics and objectives of IOM’s ACBC,” added Florian Forster, IOM’s Head of Immigration and Border Management based at IOM’s Headquarters in Geneva.
During the opening speech Marcellino Ramkishun, IOM ACBC’s Senior Migration Management Officer, highlighted how vital document security and document integrity checks are in the migration management process, specifically for migrants’ protection. “Liberia’s geographical location within the West Africa growth ring and on a major trade corridor makes it an important actor in the fight against illicit movement of goods and people,” he added.
The aim of the ToT course is to improve Liberian immigration officers’ knowledge of the subject matter itself, as well as to teach techniques so that trainees can themselves become qualified trainers and eventually conduct trainings for their counterparts in Liberia.
The training is the fourth of its kind implemented under the IOM project Enhancing Migration Management in African States through Training and Capacity Building on Integrated Border Management and Countering Irregular Migration, funded by the Netherlands.
Source: IOM ACBC Tanzania
