In a significant diplomatic move, the Sierra Leone Immigration Department Delegation headed by the Chief Immigration Officer (CIO), Hon. Alusine Kanneh has safely arrived in Brussels, Belgium for a four-day working visit, on the invitation of the Belgium Immigration Office.

During the team’s four-day stay in Brussels, the CIO and team will sign MOU and visit different detention centres in Belgium.

Accordingly, the Chief Immigration Officer is expected to make a presentation on Sierra Leone’s Immigration Strategy under the leadership of the New Direction Government of His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio.

The visit will also strive to promote cooperation between the Countries and to improve communication between them in order to better execute the laws and regulations of persons, striving to reconfirm their common desire to effectively combat all forms of illegal immigration.

It could be recalled that In November this year, a delegation from the Belgium Immigration Office held discussions with the Sierra Leone’s Chief Immigration Officer during which issues of mutual benefit and the need for partnership between the two departments were discussed.

Following the wide ranging discussions, the Belgium Immigration and the Sierra Leone Immigration agreed to sign an MOU to foster ties between the two sister institutions.

The engagement will also focus on a number of bilateral issues, including cooperation between the two institutions, information exchange, capacity building, technical assistance, visa processes, border management control, collaborative initiative, technology integration, humanitarian efforts and migration policies.

The expectations from the meeting are to collaborate together, and make sure that there will be a bilateral corporation, information exchange, capacity building, technical assistance,visa processes, border management control, collaborative initiative, technology integration, humanitarian efforts and migration policies.

The MOU will focus and acknowledge the necessity to observe human rights and freedom and that the present Agreement shall not prejudice the rights and obligations of the Parties under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 10 December 1948 and under international treaties.

Credit: Communications Specialist, Office of the Chief Immigration Officer.