Ghanian Government Suspends Importation of Arms

Xinhua (Chinese news service), 1 August 1999

NAIROBI (Aug. 1) XINHUA - Importation of small arms and ammunition including shotguns and cartridges by licensed arms dealers in Ghana has been suspended with immediate effect.

There is also to be an immediate freeze on sales of existing stocks pending an inventory of all stocks held by private arms dealers and a review of procedures for their acquisition and registration, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) reported Sunday.

This was contained in a statement issued in Accra, capital of Ghana on Sunday and signed by Kofi Totobi Quakyi, Minister of National Security following a spate of armed robberies.

It said further measures to control the possession and use of various types of arms will be announced later.

The statement expressed grave concern over the recently alleged gun running involving some Ghanaians in Nigeria.   It said the Office of the National Security Council has taken a very serious view of the reported arrest of six Ghanaians for allegedly attempting to smuggle a quantity of arms and ammunition, suspected to be shotguns and cartridges into Nigeria.

A team made up of representatives from the security agencies and led by Ghana's High Commissioner to Nigeria J. Y. A. Kwoffie is to collect first- hand information from the Nigerian authorities on the circumstances surrounding the alleged importation to help with investigations in Ghana.

The statement noted that the information collection would be done within the framework of existing agreements on cooperation aimed at curbing the proliferation of small arms in west Africa.