Ghana
Ghana is a West African country on the Atlantic coast of Africa.
HALO started operating in Ghana in 2022. Our focus here is on constructing and strengthening storage facilities for ammunition and weapons. We've also trained 37 local people in secure weapon storage.
Situation in Ghana
Ghana has suffered from violent extremist attacks, often due to instability in neighbouring Burkina Faso. The porous borders make it easier for armed groups to infiltrate.
Illegal activities such as mining, logging, and fishing threaten the environment, affect livelihoods and contribute to conflicts.
Ghana also experiences periodic ethnic and chieftaincy clashes. These can escalate into violence and disrupt local communities. As a result, there has been a rise in kidnapping and other violent crimes.
These factors have heightened public fear and impacted the perception of safety in the country. All of Ghana's security and stability issues are made worse by the availability of weapons.
HALO's work and impact in Ghana
In 2023, HALO identified significant gaps in Ghana's weapons and ammunition management capacity, so we opened a programme here to help.
We're adopting a regional approach across Coastal West Africa. We work on securing government-held weapons and disposing of obsolete and dangerous weapons and ammunition.
We're building regional capacity for weapon security among Ghana's armed forces, police, and security personnel.
Ghana, along with some neighbouring countries, is a signatory to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons. This demonstrates a commitment to preventing and combatting the proliferation of weapons that fuels instability and violence.
Other HALO programmes in West Africa
Our work in Ghana is funded by:
