Press Release
Vice President Shein Inaugurates Immigration Regional Academy in Moshi
December 12, 2008
Moshi: Today, the Honorable Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Ali Mohammed Shein, inaugurated the Immigration Regional Academy in Moshi. The Government of Tanzania is opening the Moshi Immigration Regional Academy to provide in-service instruction to its, and neighboring countries', immigration services. The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Ambassador Khamis Kagasheki and the U.S. Mission's Regional Security Office Paul Avallone also graced the event.
The purpose of the Immigration Regional Academy is to professionalize the immigration service and provide its officers with training in computer applications, foreign languages, document forensics, and management. The academy will serve as a regional training center for the immigration services of several countries in the region.
The American people are providing support to the Academy through technical assistance in the form of an expert trainer. Johan Clausen, an employee of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Immigration and Customs Enforcement based at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, conducted the inaugural course at the academy this week with students from Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
The United States has also provided support to the academy's leadership, including Abdallah Khamis, Regional Immigration Officer – Kilimanjaro, who traveled to the United States earlier this year to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) to study border control in the United States.
Funding for this expert trainer and the IVLP come from the American people. The U.S. is the largest bilateral donor to Tanzania and this assistance is part of the 750 billion Tanzanian shillings provided to Tanzania in direct bilateral and multilateral assistance during fiscal year 2008. For information on these and other programs throughout Tanzania, please visit us at http://tanzania.usembassy.gov.