The National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons says its amnesty campaign has contributed significantly to increased surrender and regularisation of small arms and light weapons in the Ashanti Region.

The Ashanti Regional Head of the Commission, Emmanuel Kenneth Oduro, said the success of the campaign was largely due to people who participated in the exercise and subsequently encouraged others to surrender or regularise their weapons.

He said the campaign had helped dispel misconceptions that the amnesty was intended to arrest or prosecute people who voluntarily surrendered unregistered weapons.

Mr Oduro made the observation in Kumasi during a training programme for peace ambassadors drawn from 12 constituencies in the Ashanti Region and organised by the National Peace Council.

He said, contrary to initial concerns, the amnesty provided an opportunity for persons in possession of unregistered weapons to surrender them or regularise their possession without facing legal sanctions, subject to the conditions of the exercise.

“The success of it was that people who went through it successfully propagated the news the more, so we had a lot of people coming through to surrender their weapons and also to regularise their weapons devoid of any legal sanction,” he said.

Mr Oduro said the response demonstrated the importance of sustained public education in encouraging responsible firearm ownership and reducing the circulation of illicit small arms and light weapons.

He said the Commission would continue to work with stakeholders and communities to prevent, combat and ultimately eradicate the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and related materials.

Mr Oduro said the involvement of peace ambassadors at the community level was particularly important because peace was a collective responsibility that required the active participation of all citizens.

He explained that placing trained peace ambassadors in communities would strengthen efforts to identify and address factors that could undermine peace, including the uncontrolled circulation of small arms.

Mr Oduro said the ambassadors could serve as important links between communities and relevant institutions in promoting peace and supporting efforts to prevent the proliferation of illicit weapons.

He urged the peace ambassadors to use their positions to promote dialogue, responsible citizenship and peaceful coexistence, particularly at the community level.

He said sustaining the country's peace was essential to protecting development gains and creating an environment conducive to socio-economic development.