WAANSA, in collaboration with the UNDP Saving Lives Entity (SALIENT) Fund Project, has organised a media empowerment workshop on the National Small Arms Bill 2023 to equip journalists in the Ashanti Region with the knowledge and skills to report on small arms and light weapons issues effectively.
Mr. Ken Kinney, President, WAANSA Ghana, explained that they recognise the importance of the media partnership to advocate the fight against the proliferation of illicit small arms, light weapons, ammunition and explosives in Ghana and the ECOWAS sub-region.
He stated that Ashanti region has just experienced the devastating effects of explosives while there are on-going violent conflicts in the northern part of Ghana and other parts of the West Africa sub-region, which are fuelled by easy access to small arms, ammunitions and explosives; an indication of a poor arms governance regimes.
He expressed the view that to bring good governance into the arms, ammunition and explosives sector, the Government of Ghana started certain processes such as the setting up of National Small Arms Commission by Act 736 of 2007, but has not been given full powers as a regulator.
He noted that Ghana has signed on to international Conventions to control illicit arms, notably the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, 5th March, 2010 and the Trade Treaty on December 23, 2015 but these are yet to find their expression in our domestic laws.
According to Mr. Kinney, all internal laws are as well very old and not suit for purpose, for which a comprehensive solution has been produced by the NASAC and stakeholders to take care of all the gaps in our arms governance: Arms Bill, 2023 but is yet to be passed into Law.
He disclosed that within the background the United Nations agencies that operate Saving-Lives Entity (SALIENT) Project; agencies on disarmament and development: United Nation Office on Disamarment Affairs (UNODA) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with a buy-in from Ghana government represented by the NASAC in 2024 started the project to support Ghana to deal comprehensively with the challenges enumerated.
He stated that Ghana’s SALIENT project is being implemented under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator; UN Agencies (UNDP and UNODC) working in collaboration with the National Small Arms Commission; the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) and West African Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA)-Ghana to integrate small arms control into development frameworks.
According to him, WAANSA-Ghana has been given an exclusive role under the SALIENT Fund Project to lead in advocacy for urgent legal reforms on small arms in Ghana.
This, he said, is to ensure a proper understanding of proposed national legislation, policies and regulations reviews to be aligned with existing international, regional and sub regional instruments among various national stakeholders in Ghana.
The reason, he noted, is why the need of the media to be fully involved in the urgent advocacy for the passage of the Arms Bill, 2023 into Law. Mr. Francis Ameyibor, WAANSA Ghana/UNDP Fund Project Coordinator and Facilitator stated that the media was crucial in shaping public opinion and influencing policy decisions on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW).
He said irresponsible reporting can exacerbate conflict and violence hence the essence to empower the media and enhance accountability in reporting SALW to promote peace and security.
The Project Coordinator noted that media reportage of SALW faces several challenges, including limited access to information, lack of expertise, pressure from special interest groups, risk of harm or intimidation and complexity of SALW issues.
The challenges, he observed, could lead to inaccurate or biased reporting, which can have serious consequences.
According to him, to promote responsible and accurate reporting on SALW, media outlets and journalists need to be empowered with training and capacity building, access to information and resources, support and protection from intimidation and harm, and encouragement to report on SALW issues.
He disclosed that to promote accountability in reportage of SALW, media outlets and journalists need to be held accountable for their reporting, through fact-checking and verification, corrections and apologies for inaccurate reporting, transparency and disclosure of sources and methods, and independent media councils and regulatory bodies.
Mr. Ameyibor expressed the view that to promote responsible and accurate reporting on SALW, media outlets and journalists should resort to multiple sources, verify information, avoid sensationalism, provide context, use accurate and neutral language.
He stressed that the media plays a crucial role in promoting peace and security by providing accurate and unbiased information, promoting public debate and discussion, holding those in power accountable, and highlighting the human impact of conflict.
He reiterated that empowering media and enhancing accountability in reportage of SALW is crucial for promoting peace and security and thus promote responsible and accurate reporting to reduce the spread of misinformation and promote a more peaceful and secure world.
He also recommended that the Media outlets and journalists should receive training and capacity building on SALW issues and should be held accountable for their reporting on SALW.
Mr. Ameyibor indicated that governments and NGOs should provide support and protection for journalists reporting on SALW, saying empowering media and enhancing accountability in reportage of SALW is a crucial step towards promoting peace and security.
