Stakeholders are calling for stricter regulation on the importation, use, and ownership of arms and ammunition to check recent rising crimes in parts of the country.

According to officials, recent attacks on mobile money vendors, explosions, and other violent crimes are likely to escalate if swift measures are not implemented to regulate the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country.

They warn that these weapons have become widely accessible, posing a significant threat to national security.

Speaking to Citi News after a one-day workshop in Kumasi on small arms and light weapons, the President of the West African Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA) Ghana, Ken Kinney, highlighted the vulnerabilities in Ghana’s security framework concerning arms control.

He bemoaned that “For the fact that there is no regulation, there is room for people to own guns anyhow. Although there are security agencies that can arrest you and all that, because we have very weak regulation, a lot more people import guns into the country. So, guns are available in Ghana, and it is easy to buy one if you have the money. Unless we control this, the incidence of people using guns to rob not only mobile money vendors but also market women is going to increase.”

Mr. Kinney added that “Now, for the fact that we are not doing well in regulating the space, there are explosives, and explosives are a kind of mini weapon. You can see what happened in Konongo Odumase, which destroyed lives and properties.”

He emphasized that the difficulties in addressing illegal mining activities stem largely from the fact that many illegal miners are armed, using their weapons to resist law enforcement efforts.

“Another issue is the area of galamsey, where illegal miners use arms to resist law enforcement. These are all concerns that should prompt us to take action. We must advocate for change and push for the bill to become a law so that we can all be safe”, Mr. Kinney said.

Facilitators at the workshop expressed frustration over the government’s delay in passing legislation to regulate small arms and light weapons.

They cautioned that Ghana is at risk of serious security threats if authorities do not act swiftly to pass the National Small Arms Bill 2023, which is expected to provide a legal framework for better control and oversight of firearms in the country.

The concerns were raised during a Media Empowerment Workshop on the National Small Arms Bill 2023, organized by the West African Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA) in collaboration with the UNDP Saving Lives Entity (SALIENT) Fund Project.

The workshop aimed to equip journalists in the Ashanti Region with the knowledge and skills to report effectively on issues related to small arms and light weapons.