The Acting Executive Secretary of the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Dr Adam Bonaa, has described Ghana’s current firearms regulations as “defective” and “inefficient”, calling for urgent reforms to curb the proliferation of small arms and enhance public safety.

Speaking on the sidelines of a training workshop for transport operators in Accra, on June 5, 2025, Dr Bonaa highlighted the ease with which unauthorised individuals, including students, access firearms due to weak regulations.

“When it comes to regulation, we have very defective arms regulations. They’re not efficient,” he stated, citing incidents where students used their parents’ firearms, including one case where the victim has had to receive medical treatment in the United Kingdom.

He also noted that; “Even though we don’t have a law regulating the local manufacture of firearms, people are manufacturing them anyway, exacerbating the risks."

Dr Bonaa added that a new Arms Bill, aimed at tightening firearms regulations, is under review at the ministerial level.

“Fortunately, if you listen to the president and his State of the Nation Address, one thing he mentioned significantly was that there will be tighter firearms regulations,” he said.

Dr Bonaa expressed confidence in the imminent passage of the Arms Bill, emphasising that the bill, which he helped draft, is being finalised with the active support and participation of the Minister of the Interior and the Attorney General.

The urgency of reform, according to Dr Adam Bonaa, is driven by Ghana’s position as a stable nation in a turbulent sub-region.

“If Ghana goes down, it means there would no longer be a safe haven for anybody,” he stated.

The training workshop by the commission seeks to sensitise transport operators to recognise suspicious behaviours and items in their daily interactions with passengers and goods.





BAI/AE