The National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons says it will destroy more than 1,200 confiscated small arms in November, this year, as part of efforts to create awareness on the dangers of illicit arms.
Mr Gyebi Asante, a Deputy Director of the Commission, told the Ghana News Agency in interview that the exercise was also intended to prevent small arms from entering the society.
He said the management and control of ammunition should be given much attention by the relevant state institutions in addition to the right policy interventions.
With the right policy intervention, technical and financial support including requisite training for blacksmiths associations to control the manufacture of illicit artisanal small arms, the industry could be promoted to create employment for the youth, Mr Asante said.
He said the blacksmithing industry could be properly harnessed for manufacturing of quality household items, farming implements, auto parts, hospital screens, and metal beds, among other things.
That, Mr Asante said, would strengthen the fight against the production of artisanal small arms through close collaboration with blacksmith associations and channel their skills and energies into meaningful ventures.
He stated that 2020, being an election year, the Commission was embarking on intensive public education and awareness creation in nine selected hotspots in the country to promote peaceful and non-violent elections on December 7.
He said it would engage all stakeholders including the media, political parties, youth groups, opinion leaders, and faith-based and civil society organisations to promote gun-violence-free society for sustainable peace before, during and after the elections.
“December 7 is about going to the polls, not throwing blows. In fact, all of us must become victors irrespective of which party wins, not victims of any elections.”
He asked the public to desist from acquiring small arms without authority, particularly as Ghana inched closer to the elections, and have confidence in the security agencies.
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