The Ghana National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons will soon begin a nationwide exercise to mark and trace small arms and light weapons following the acquisition of an arms marking machine worth 14,000 dollars from the European Union. Marking and tracing of small arms involve the systematic tracking of illicit weapons from their source including manufacturers, through to the lines of supply, to the point at which they were diverted into the illicit market. The pilot project in Ghana will require unique and agreed codes written on guns. Upon the detection of a point of diversion, preventive measures are quickly taken to stop guns from falling into unlicensed hands. The move is part of measures by the Commission to control the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons in the country. The Executive Secretary of the Ghana National Commission on Small Arms, Jones Borteye Applerh told selected security personnel attending a three day training programme in Accra the pending exercise constitutes an integral part of small arms control. He said as a signatory to many international instruments and protocols such as the United Nations Programme of Action, the International Tracing Instrument and the ECOWAS conventions, Ghana is obliged to take steps to ensure mechanisms are put in place for effective marking and tracing of small arms. “One key prerequisite to preventing illicit diversion of weapons is to mark them in an easily identifiable and coherent manner and to maintain effective and reliable databases of marked weapons and their legal transfers, so that any illegally diverted weapons can be traced back to the point of diversion. This will inhibit illicit diversion for fear of subsequent exposure” he explained. The Small Arms Commission boss also explained that if a weapon has been involved in a crime, or found in the illicit or unauthorized possession of a person or a group of persons, the relevant authorities could trace the weapon as part of their investigation to prosecute those culpable. The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Chris Kpodo said in order to properly control the flow of arms, member states ought to be more vigilant.