By Eric Appah Marfo
Accra, Aug. 18, GNA – Ghana is reviewing its arms-control laws and strengthening procedures for arms transfers to curb illicit proliferation, trafficking and misuse of small arms and light weapons.
The Government is also preparing a Draft National Arms Bill to domesticate the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, their Ammunition and Other Related Materials and provide stronger legal controls.
Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, Minister for the Interior, said this in a speech read on his behalf at the opening of a three-day training programme on exemptions to the ECOWAS Convention in Accra.
He said the review was intended to provide comprehensive and enforceable legislation governing the possession and use of arms and ammunition, while strengthening Ghana’s implementation of the regional arms-control framework.
The training, organised by the ECOWAS Commission in collaboration with the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (NACSA), is aimed at strengthening the capacity of officials responsible for managing arms-transfer exemptions.
Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak said the exemption mechanism should be regarded as a carefully controlled exception within the ECOWAS arms-control regime and not as an unrestricted avenue for arms transfers.
He said exemption applications should undergo rigorous scrutiny and be backed by credible and
verifiable information, with appropriate authorisation, documentation, marking and compliance with national and international obligations.
The Minister said Ghana’s security environment, including armed robbery, cross-border trafficking and communal violence, underscored the need for effective controls over the movement of arms.
He urged national focal persons participating in the training to identify procedural gaps within their institutions and develop practical measures to address them.
Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak said Ghana’s arms-control measures had already produced results, including the submission of more than 4,000 firearms to the Government under the Gun Amnesty Programme for registration or surrender.
He also cited the destruction of 2,132 illicit firearms during the eighth National Arms Destruction Ceremony as part of efforts to remove illicit weapons from communities.
Dr Adam A.A. Bonaa, Executive Secretary of NACSA, said the ECOWAS Convention alone could not prevent the illicit proliferation of firearms without competent institutions, trained personnel, reliable national systems and effective cooperation among agencies.
In a speech read on his behalf, he said Ghana needed a coordinated system covering arms-transfer authorisation and licensing, end-user verification, firearms marking and tracing, record-keeping, border controls, stockpile management, and the seizure and destruction of illicit weapons.
Dr Bonaa said effective controls and information-sharing were required throughout the life cycle of a firearm, from importation and registration to movement across borders, recovery by the Police and eventual destruction.
He said NACSA would continue to promote inter-agency coordination, standardised procedures
and continuous capacity-building.
Dr Bonaa announced that NACSA would hold a National Stakeholders Dialogue on the effective implementation of the ECOWAS Convention on September 30, 2026.
Mr Yomi Adeomi Abayomi, Acting Head of the Small Arms Division of the ECOWAS Commission, said the widespread availability and circulation of small arms and light weapons remained a threat to peace, stability and development in West Africa.
He said illicit weapons contributed to violent extremism, organised crime, piracy and other forms of criminal violence in the region.
Mr Abayomi said implementation of the ECOWAS exemption procedure required not only appropriate laws but also professional and technically competent institutions working closely together.
He said arms-transfer management required an “all-of-government” approach based on trust, information-sharing and coordinated action.
Mr Abayomi said the exemption procedure also served as a confidence-building mechanism to promote transparency, mutual accountability and collective security among ECOWAS Member States.
The training has brought together about 30 officials from the Ministry of the Interior, Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Police Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ghana Immigration Service, Customs and other institutions whose mandates cover arms transfers, acquisition, importation, procurement, regulation, authorisation and oversight.
Participants are being taken through technical presentations, classroom sessions and simulation exercises on preparing and processing applications for ECOWAS Exemption Certificates.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Eric Appah Marfo
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