WAANSA Ghana Urges Journalists to Join the Fight Against Illicit Small Arms Proliferation

The President of the West Africa Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA) Ghana, Mr. Ken Kinney, has called on journalists to become critical partners in the fight against the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons across the country and the ECOWAS sub-region.

Mr. Kinney made the call during the third in a series of media engagement workshops, held in Tamale, aimed at equipping journalists with the tools and knowledge necessary to report effectively on issues related to small arms and light weapons (SALW).

The workshop, organized in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the Saving Lives Entity Fund Project, seeks to empower media practitioners with accurate information on the National Small Arms Bill of 2023.
“This workshop aims to empower the media on the National Arms Bill 2023 to inform and equip journalists across Ghana with the knowledge and skills to report on small arms, their ammunition, and explosives effectively, so we can all feel safe,” Mr. Kinney stated.
The Tamale workshop follows similar events held in Accra in February and Kumasi in March, with future engagements planned for other regions.

Mr. Kinney emphasized the urgent need for media partnership, noting that communities like Bawku, just a short distance from Tamale, continue to suffer the devastating effects of small arms proliferation. “We are losing lives, property, livelihoods, and national progress,” he added.

Mr. Francis Ameyibor, WAANSA Ghana/UNDP Saving Lives Entity Fund Project Coordinator, highlighted the workshop’s goal of raising awareness and positioning journalists as key advocates for reform in Ghana’s arms control landscape.

Echoing these sentiments, Vice President of WAANSA Ghana Northern Region Team, Dagbon Samnaba Jesiwani, expressed concern over the security implications of widespread small arms circulation.

“The proliferation of small arms has significant effects on global security, health, and development,” he said. “In Ghana—especially in the north—we have witnessed over 300 lives lost to ethnic conflicts. Civilian casualties, displacements, economic disruptions, and public health impacts continue to undermine development.”

Source:Fiilafmonline/Walkiyatu Issahaku