Proliferation of arms, a worry to Government

Social researchers have called for the tightening of controls on small arms entering Ghana, saying that statutes regulating weapons are outdated and ineffective. The issue of small arms remains a big border to the new government. This id due to recent upsurge of armed robbery cases in the country.

Two ministers of the Kufuor administration supported their position.

The Minister of the Interior Alhaji Malik Al-Hassan Yakubu MP, and Attorney General and Minister of Justice Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo MP joined researchers, security experts and journalists at the Seminar on the Manufacture and Proliferation of Small Arms in Ghana to inform them of the need to create awareness of the matter.

"The government is determined to nip in the bud activities of illegal traders in small weapons in an attempt to reduce drastically the alarming proliferation of small arms in Ghana," said Alhaji Yakubu.

"In this regard, some of the old rules and regulations governing arms and ammunition will be amended or repealed to reflect this new focus," he added. Small arms include single and double barrel shotguns, pump action, AK-47 assault rifles, pistols and revolvers.

Although Alhaji Yakubu admits to his office authorising 19,468 pieces of shotguns in 2000, nevertheless, local manufacturers still produce a large percentage of unregistered weapons used to commit various crimes including suicide, murders and armed robberies.

Currently, local manufacturers located in small villages in Ghana produce at least 7,800 guns. Reasons for the increase in small arms smuggling, Alhaji Yakubu said include the escalating ethnic, religious and political conflicts prevalent in the sub-region, low importation fees and the relaxation of the enforcement of arms rules and regulations.

Nana Akufo-Addo said: "The proliferation of small arms is the biggest single danger to security and development of any nation," and gave the assurance that President Kufuor's administration has made curbing proliferation a top priority.

"My goal is to avoid that road - the road of making it easy for people to get guns," said Nana Akufo-Addo, pointing out that the United States allowing its citizens the right to arm themselves makes it the most violent country in the world.

It is estimated that 700,000 small arms-related deaths are recorded world-wide each year and more than half of this number occur in Africa, stated Associate Director of the Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA), Ms Afi Yacubu.

Ghana, which has an average of three arms-related crimes per month, is gradually gaining the status of a small arms uncontrolled economy, said Ms Yacubu.

Dr Emmanuel Kwesi Aning, a researcher with FOSDA said the influx of small arms comes from various countries in Europe and Africa, such as South Africa, and these are traded illegally with other countries in the sub-region.

Dr Aning advocated the regulation of weapons manufactured locally instead of outlawing them. "These are highly skilled people; we need to give them the proper respect and dignity they deserve," said Dr Aning.

General Emmanuel Erskine, Co-ordinator of FOSDA proposed that regional efforts should be co-ordinated among key countries around Ghana's borders against the influx of illegal small arms.

A report by FOSDA and the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), organisers of the event, recommends several measures to combat proliferation.

Chief among them are establishing a national committee on the manufacture and proliferation of small arms and light weapons and illicit trafficking to trace the sale and use of small arms as well as to recommend measures to deal with the problem.