{Colonel Seth Ohene Asare, Chairman, Ghana National Commission on Small Arms (NACSA) has pressed on parliament to endorse the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to ensure safety in Ghana. }
According to Col. Asare, about 90 per cent of weapons used in crime scenes were locally manufactured, whilst illicit trade thrived because the weapons were sold across borders and this, he said, raised cause for concern.
He made the call when he chaired the opening ceremony of the planning meeting for the ratification of the Arms Trade Treaty in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region.
The two-day workshop attended by representatives from the ECOWAS region including the Gambia, Ghana, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Togo and Benin was sponsored by the British Government.
Col. Asare said the safety of citizens was paramount to every country and therefore the law making body of Ghana must ratify the treaty since smuggling of small arms into the country and its misuse was a threat to national security.
Currently, between 250,000 to 500,000 small arms and light weapons are in circulation in the country.
He said to ensure the total eradication of these arms; government must resource the NACSA to enable it to intensify its sensitization and educational campaigns to fight the illegal manufacturing of such arms.
Ghana Business News
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