The Ghana Immigration Service in the North East Region has said the local vegetation coupled with the vast nature of the borderline in the area, remains a great challenge to the fight against illicit cross border activities such as human trafficking, smuggling of arms and pirated goods, as well as terrorism.  The Regional Commander, William Andoh, revealed that the situation in the area, especially during the dry season, exposes the country to all forms of infiltrations from neighboring countries including Togo.  Addressing the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, the Commander called for enhanced internal controls, saying the porous nature of the borders could fuel communal violence, lead to national revenue losses, exploitations of the locals by traffickers and extremist groups. The vegetation of the North East Region, unlike areas in Southern Ghana, is much drier wand predominantly grassland. The rainy season falls between April and September and there are no second rains while January and February are characterised by a harmattan season, during which a cold, dry wind sweeps throughout the country. The region shares a border to the west with Northern Togo with a borderline spanning a distance of 334km.  It has just two authorised border posts in Bunkprugu and Chereponi districts and outnumbered by a double dozen unapproved routes which provide access to the country. With a staff strength of 57, the borders in the North East Region are known for the limited presence of security and law enforcement officials. The few that are deployed are poorly trained, work with inadequate and obsolete equipment and sometimes poorly remunerated. Lamenting the numerous challenges faced by the service, the Regional Commander said should government intervene to provide a piece of land to the service, a permanent district office and residential accommodation can be put up at Walewale, due to its strategic location to help curb the menace.  In his response, the Interior Minister praised the impressive performance of personnel of the Service and commended them for their active role in the ongoing security operations and counter-terrorism efforts across the country.  The Minister acknowledged the difficult conditions under which the personnel operated and said the government will soon roll out a comprehensive program for the Immigration department that would see a sweeping revamp of the service.