Mr Charles Lwanga Puozuing, the Upper West Regional Minister, has urged the media to lead community sensitisation for the upcoming “Gun Amnesty” initiative to ensure its successful implementation and help rid society of illicit arms.
He explained that the proliferation of illicit small arms and the rise in gun-related violence in the country were worrying, as they posed a serious threat to Ghana’s peace, security, and development.
Mr Puozuing made the call in Wa during an engagement with the media on the yet-to-be-launched “Gun Amnesty” initiative by the Minister for the Interior, scheduled for November 11, 2025.
The government’s initiative, expected to run for six weeks, aimed to encourage all persons in possession of unregistered firearms to either register or surrender them as part of efforts to sustain national peace and security.
It sought to also reduce the number of illegal and unregistered firearms in circulation, deter criminal use and trafficking of small arms, and strengthen national and community-level security mechanisms.
Data from the Ghana Police Service and the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons for the first three quarters of 2025 indicate that 322 incidents of armed robbery were recorded within the period.
According to the data, there were also 342 incidents of murder, 70 cases of unlawful possession of firearms, 130 weapons retrieved, 166 deaths, and 93 injuries during the same period.
Mr Puozuing said the figures represented a growing threat to national security resulting from the possession of illicit arms, which all well-meaning citizens must help to combat.
“This amnesty is not a leniency, it is a proactive national security strategy designed to disarm communities, prevent violent crime and strengthen public safety”, he explained.
The Minister recognised the media as a strong partner in implementing the initiative through its community sensitisation and mobilisation abilities towards its success.
He also warned that persons who failed to register or surrender their firearm would face the law when apprehended with an illicit weapon.
He, therefore, emphasised the need for all persons residing in Ghana to seize the opportunity to register their arms with ease.
Mr Ivan Awudu Domassah, the Upper West Regional Treasurer of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), acknowledged the importance of the media being well informed about the initiative to better educate the public.
He said that would enable the media dispel misinformation about the initiative, build public trust in the initiative and encourage full participation in its implementation.
Mr Suala Abdul-Wahab, the immediate past Upper West Regional Chairman of the GJA, also appealed to the media not to politicise the initiative because doing so could undermine its success.
