http://www.theheritagenews.com/article.asp?id=209
Gov’t to Host ECOWAS Arms Confab
Posted on: Monday, February 12, 2007 | Print this Page
By: Karimatu Anas
THE GOVERNMENT of Ghana is hosting the first International Consultative Conference on the Implementation of the ECOWAS Small Arms Programme, (ECOSAP) from today, February 12 to Friday February16.
The conference, billed for the Alisa Hotel at North Ridge, is to enhance the ECOWAS peace and security agenda and it is being supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other development partners.
The Programme Director of ECOSAP, Jonathan Sandy, briefing the press during the weekend, noted that the conference would produce two outputs; stranded operational procedures to govern the implementation of ECOSAP and geographical clusters as well as a harmonized strategic regional action plan for small arms control for next year.
According to him, the conference aims to increase knowledge about international policy and legal instruments meant to tackle small arms and light weapons, (SALW), especially the ECOWAS convention on small arms and light weapons; their ammunitions and related materials as well as the challenges facing the implementation of ECOSAP.
Mr. Sandy added that ECOSAP is intended to be a five-year programme to strengthen the capacity of member states to control proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the sub-region, in partnership with other stakeholders.
He mentioned that ECOSAP was launched in Bamako, Mali on June 6th 2006 at a ceremony attended by Government Ministers, Civil Society, Youths and ECOWAS Officials led by Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Executive Secretary of ECOWAS.
In addition, he said, the overall goal of the ECOSAP is to reduce the incidence of increase of SALW in the region, in order to improve security and promote development in the sub-region. He disclosed that there are about 10million illicit weapons in the country.
“We need to establish an enforcement that will help bring down these illicit weapons in the country,” said Mr. Sandy. He described small arms as any little arm that can kill and advised the public to hold arms only when they have been licensed to.
