|
|
|
Front Page
GHANA’S 100,000 SMALL ARMS HEADACHE
FRIDAY, 6TH MAY, 2005
About 100,000 small arms or guns are produced annually in the country and this poses a serious security threat to the nation, says Papa Owusu-Ankomah, interior minister.
The guns are mostly manufactured by black-smiths in the Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, the three Northern Regions and some parts of the Volta Region.
Mr Owusu-Ankomah stated this yesterday when he inaugurated the offices of the Ghana National Commission on Small Arms in Accra. The commission is expected to promote programmes aimed at checking the proliferation of small arms in the country.
The minister urged Ghanaians to contribute meaningfully towards the eradication of the menace of small arms to help reduce armed robberies and ethnic conflicts in the country. “We can all do this by increased public education, peaceful resolution of conflicts and volunteering information on those involved in smuggling and trafficking in small arms and light weapons,” he said.
Mr Owusu-Ankomah said that the consequences of the proliferation of small arms were devastating, adding that “apart from constituting a recipe for armed conflicts, it also fuels and exacerbates conflicts.”
He, therefore, called for a collective effort to rid the country of undesirable and illegal arms to make the nation safe and secured. The Government is working closely with its neighbours in the sub-region and with various organizations to prevent and combat illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons.
Author:
|
