The Volta Regional Minister, Mr James Gunu, has intensified calls for a safer and more secure region by advocating an extension of the ongoing nationwide Gun Amnesty Programme beyond its current deadline, arguing that more time is needed to maximise public awareness and participation.
Mr Gunu made the appeal during a visit to the region by the Gun Amnesty Programme Train, led by Dr Adam Bonaa, Executive Secretary of the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons. He said prolonging the exercise to the end of January 2026 would deepen public education and stakeholder engagement, in line with government’s broader “resetting agenda.”
The Regional Minister warned that the proliferation of unregulated firearms remained a serious threat to peace, stability and development, stressing that security was central to his three-point agenda for the region since assuming office. According to him, positioning the Volta Region as an attractive destination for investment depended largely on maintaining law, order and public safety.
Mr Gunu linked the amnesty initiative directly to development, citing recent incidents in which firearms were discharged at public gatherings, including religious and traditional events, as evidence that illegal weapons were still in circulation. He called for closer collaboration with the Regional House of Chiefs and traditional authorities to regulate the use of guns during cultural celebrations, cautioning that long-held practices could undermine current security gains if left unchecked.
Beyond the surrender of illegal weapons, the Minister raised concerns about local firearm craftsmanship in parts of the region, proposing a national conversation on how such skills could be properly regulated and channelled into legitimate economic activity without compromising public safety.
In response, Dr Adam Bonaa said the Commission was already working toward regularising local gunsmithing as part of broader reforms to Ghana’s firearms laws. He noted that completely banning indigenous firearm production would be impractical, as it predated the modern state and, in some cases, supported security agencies through weapon repairs.
Dr Bonaa disclosed that the Minister of the Interior had signalled that these issues were likely to feature in upcoming legal and policy reforms on firearms control. He added that the Commission had taken note of calls to extend the amnesty and would relay them accordingly, describing public response so far as encouraging, with many weapons already surrendered.
While condemning recent gun-related disturbances in the Volta Region as unnecessary, Dr Bonaa urged communities to resolve conflicts peacefully, without resorting to firearms. He commended the region for its generally calm character and encouraged residents to help preserve that tradition.
The nationwide Gun Amnesty Programme, declared by the Minister of the Interior, Mr Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, began on December 1, 2025, and is expected to end on January 15, 2026. It allows individuals to voluntarily surrender illegal, unregistered or unwanted firearms without fear of prosecution, as part of efforts to curb gun violence and improve public safety across the country.
