Accra: The Ministry of the Interior, in collaboration with key security agencies, will destroy more than 2,000 seized and surrendered firearms on July 9, 2026. The destruction, to be held at the Police Depot in Tesano, Accra, forms part of efforts to rid the country of illicit weapons and enhance public safety. It is being held in partnership with the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Armed Forces, the National Security Council Secretariat, and other stakeholders.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, the Minister of the Interior, shared these plans at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, discussing the outcomes of the 2025/2026 Gun Amnesty Programme and future initiatives. He explained that the firearms slated for destruction include those voluntarily surrendered by owners who no longer wish to possess them, as well as weapons confiscated by security agencies.
Mr. Mohammed-Mubarak revealed that a total of 4,038 unregistered firearms were presented to the police during the Gun Amnesty Programme, which ran from December 1, 2025, to January 30, 2026. However, not all surrendered firearms will be destroyed immediately, as some were submitted by owners seeking to regularize their possession through the registration process. Such firearms will first undergo assessment to determine whether their owners qualify under the law to possess them.
The Minister disclosed that pump-action guns and locally manufactured firearms constituted a significant proportion of the weapons received during the amnesty period. To improve traceability, locally manufactured firearms are being marked and assigned unique identification numbers to facilitate monitoring and registration when owners meet legal requirements.
Mr. Mohammed-Mubarak described the Gun Amnesty Programme as a major milestone in the government's efforts to reduce the proliferation of illicit firearms and promote public safety. He urged the public to continue supporting security agencies with information to help combat the illegal possession and trafficking of weapons.
The National Gun Amnesty Programme was launched by the Ministry of the Interior in collaboration with the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, the Ghana Police Service, and other stakeholders to reduce the proliferation of illicit firearms and gun-related violence. The programme, which ran from December 1, 2025, and was later extended to January 30, 2026, allowed individuals to voluntarily surrender or regularize unlicensed firearms without fear of arrest or prosecution. The initiative was undertaken on the theme: 'Silencing the Guns to Save Our Lives.'