US Embassy trains 35 NIB officers

The United States Embas­sy in Ghana has donated laptop computers and printers to the Counterterror­ism Directorate of the Nation­al Investigative Bureau- (NIB) to enhance its operations.

The presentation forms part of the embassy’s support to the directorate’s centralised case reporting and investiga­tive functions.

The gesture was part of the programme for the closing ceremony of a six-week com­prehensive capacity-building initiative for 35 Ghanaians from the BNI.

It was organised by the Legal Attaché Office of the Federal Bureau of Investi­gation (FBI) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State’s Counterterrorism Bu­reau to enhance the capabili­ties of BNI personnel to better address the complex security challenges confronting the country.

The participants selected from the regions were taken through intensive training designed to develop core com­petencies across six critical areas, such as basic Coun­terterrorism Investigations, CT Intelligence Operations, Interview and Interrogation Techniques, Report Writing, Documentation Standards, Investigating Terrorist Financ­ing & Emerging Technologies, Legal Frameworks for CT Prosecution and Human Rights Compliance.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Chargé d’ Affaires of the Embassy, Rolf Olson, said the training reflects the U.S. gov­ernment’s ongoing dedication to building partner capacity in West Africa’s counterterrorism efforts.

Receiving the items, the Director General of the NIB, Charles A. Kipo, appreciated the gesture which he said would boost their outfit’s efforts to gather and analyse intelligence.

 By Victor A. Buxton