Northern Region Journalist joins WAANSA Ghana to demand swift passage of Small Arms Bill

Scores of journalists and some civil society organisations in the Northern Region have joined forces with the West Africa Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA Ghana) to demand the passage of the National Small Arms Bill 2023.

The bill currently at the Ministry of the Interior, if passed into law, will enhance national security, align the nation's laws on small arms and light weapons with international standards, and address legislative gaps.

The journalists and the CSOs made the commitment during a workshop organised by WAANSA Ghana in the Northern Region as part of a nationwide media engagement on the bill.

The media engagement forms part of the Saving Lives Entity Fund Project (Salient), which is a United Nations funding facility located within the Peacebuilding Fund and dedicated to supporting states to tackle armed violence and illicit small arms and light weapons as part of a comprehensive approach to sustainable security and development.

The project is part of interventions to address the illicit trafficking of small arms, light weapons, and improvised explosive devices within the prevailing context of the increasingly volatile security situation in the Sahel and neighbouring countries under the SALIENT Project.

The bill also seeks to improve firearms control, promote peace and stability, and encourage collaboration.

The bill also seeks to prevent the illicit trade, possession, and use of small arms, which have been linked to armed violence, terrorism, and organised crime, and regulate the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

By regulating small arms, the bill seeks to prevent armed violence, which has devastating effects on individuals, communities, and the nation as a whole, as well as help prevent the use of small arms by terrorist groups, posing a significant threat to national security.

The bill also seeks to help reduce organised crime, often perpetrated using these weapons.

Speaking during the Northern Region Media Engagement, which is the third in the series after the Greater Accra and Ashanti regional workshops, Mr Francis Ameyibor, WAANSA Ghana/UNDP Salient Fund Project Coordinator, explained that the swift passage of the National Small Arms Bill 2023 is critical.

He commended the media for joining forces with WAANSA Ghana towards relentless advocacy for the passage of the bill in the supreme interest of the nation.

Mr Ameyibor emphasised the critical role of stakeholders and civil society organisations in promoting the passage and implementation of the bill, stressing that the media must educate the public on the importance of regulating small arms and the potential benefits of passing the bill.

The WAANSA Ghana/UNDP SALIENT Fund Project Coordinator and Facilitator reiterated an appeal to the Minister of the Interior, Alhaji Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, to fast-track the passage of the bill.

He stressed that it is essential that stakeholders, civil society organisations, and individuals work together to promote the passage and implementation of the bill, ensuring a safer and more secure environment for all Ghanaians.

He said the bill also has provisions for the establishment of a regulatory body to oversee the possession, use, and trade of arms in Ghana to ensure public safety and national security, and among the objectives is to prevent the proliferation of illegal arms in Ghana.

The SALIENT Project responds to the multifaceted nature of the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons and addresses the root causes of armed violence.

WAANSA-Ghana has been given an exclusive role under the SALIENT Fund Project to lead in advocacy for urgent legal reforms on small arms in Ghana law.