The National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (NACSA) has raised a serious alarm over the dramatic rise in gun-related violence in Ghana, as revealed in its 2025 First Quarter Open-Source Gun Incidence Report (OGI).
According to the report, gun-related incidents have surged by an astonishing 253.3% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
While the country recorded only 15 such incidents in the first quarter of 2024, the corresponding period in 2025 saw 53 cases, with the Ashanti, North East, and Northern regions registering the sharpest increases.
In a press statement issued by Carl Nii Anyetei Sowah, Acting Head of Communications and Media at NACSA, the Commission expressed deep concern about both the scale and geographic spread of the violence.
“Gun violence incidents were reported in 15 out of 16 regions in 2025, compared to 9 regions in 2024, indicating a worrying spread of gun-related crimes across the country.”
Carl Nii Anyetei Sowah, Acting Head of Communications and Media at NACSA
The report further outlined a grim pattern of violent activity, with armed robbery, chieftaincy disputes, and violent confrontations accounting for over 60% of all cases.
However, NACSA also noted a diversification in the nature of gun-related crimes, with land disputes, indiscriminate shootings, and even celebratory gunfire having increasingly featured in the violence statistics, pointing to a broader normalisation of gun use in public life.
Demographic Profile
Perhaps more troubling is the demographic profile of those involved in the incidents. The data shows that males were predominantly both the perpetrators (59%) and the victims (67%) of gun-related violence.
Of the 72 recorded deaths, 64 were male victims. The figures paint a bleak picture of a country where young and middle-aged men are becoming increasingly embroiled in fatal conflicts involving firearms.
Equally alarming is the issue of weapon traceability. NACSA’s data shows that more than half (54%) of the weapons found at crime scenes were unidentified. This, the commission noted, has major implications for national security and law enforcement efforts.
It emphasised that the inability to trace these weapons not only hampers police investigations but also suggests that illegal arms may be entering or circulating within the country undetected.
“The high percentage of unidentified weapons at crime scenes and the alarming rise in gun violence and its spread across almost all regions of Ghana is a clear indication of the urgent need for stricter and more effective gun control measures.”.
Carl Nii Anyetei Sowah, Acting Head of Communications and Media at NACSA
To this end, NACSA reiterated its call for the swift passage of the Draft National Arms Bill, which it believes will significantly enhance the legal framework for arms control in the country.
The bill, which has been in draft form for several years, is expected to modernise Ghana’s gun laws, bolster enforcement mechanisms, and empower relevant institutions to better regulate and monitor arms possession and use.
In its press release, NACSA called on lawmakers, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders to throw their weight behind the proposed legislation.
The escalating gun violence in Ghana comes against the backdrop of broader security challenges in West Africa, where arms trafficking, political instability, and violent extremism have placed enormous strain on national governments and institutions.
If the situation in Ghana is not urgently addressed, the country could become a fertile ground for more organised and deadly forms of gun violence.
NACSA’s call to action is, therefore, both timely and essential. The findings in the first quarter of 2025 should serve as a wake-up call to the government, Parliament, and citizens alike.
With firearms increasingly featuring in both criminal and civil disputes across the country, the demand for coherent and enforceable legislation has never been more pressing.
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