Over 2.4 million firearms in private hands in Ghana - expert

The Executive Director of the Bureau of Public Safety, a non-profit organisation, Nana Yaw Akwada, says there are over 2.4 million firearms in the possession of some individuals in the country.

Speaking on Accra-based Citi FM on Monday afternoon, August 30, 2021, Mr Akwada noted that there has been an increase in firearms proliferation in the country.

For him, the government can track individuals in possession of such firearms, noting that since 2019 and 2020, “we’ve observed that firearms used in committing crimes have jumped from 46 per cent to 51 per cent.”

According to him, the figures on firearms proliferation keep going up exponentially, suggesting that the situation could be checked by guarding against firearms which are smuggled through the country's borders.

Mr Akwada who is a certified occupational safety specialist said “if you compare the first half of 2021 to 2020, there has been a 70 per cent increase” in the firearms used in committing crimes.

The Bureau of Public Safety is a non-profit organisation working together with government agencies, businesses and civil society organisations towards improving the quality of public safety through advocacy, education and development of programmes for sustainable development of the environment and public health to improve the quality of life of the citizenry across the country and the West African sub-region.