Ghana ratifies Arms Trade Treaty

Ghana has ratified the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), making it the eleventh country in the Economic Community of West African States bloc to endorse the treaty.

The ATT is a multi-lateral legally-binding treaty which is expected to create common standards for exports, imports, transit, trans-shipment and brokering referred to as transfer.

A statement issued in Accra by Mr Jones B. Applerh, the Executive Secretary of Ghana National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (NACSA) and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the ratification came at the time when there were growing concerns about the use of sophisticated weapons in committing violent crimes.

It said the treaty was to regulate the international trade in conventional arms, from small arms to battle tanks, combat aircrafts and warships.

The treaty is also expected to foster peace and security, curb terrorism by thwarting uncontrolled arms flows to conflict regions and potential conflict zones to prevent human rights abusers and violators of the international humanitarian law from being supplied with arms.

The statement said it would help keep warlords, pirates, and gangs from acquiring weapons for their activities.

“The treaty was opened to for signature in June 2013 and entered into force on the December 24, 2014. Till date, 130 countries have signed, and 69 countries have ratified, …it is likely Ghana would be among the 70 states to have ratified the treaty.”

The Arms Commission expressed its appreciation for the collaboration with the West African Action Network on Small Arms (WANSA) and the Global Parliament Forum in ensuring that a number of West African States ratified the treaty.

It said the Commission through the Ministry of the Interior expressed gratitude to the leadership and Members of Parliament,  for unanimously approving the ratification of the treaty.

The statement said in the coming days, efforts would be made to ensure that the instrument of ratification was deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, to complete Ghana’s ratification process to enable implementation of the treaty to begin in earnest.

Source: GNA