The Ministry of the Interior has extended the deadline of the Gun Amnesty Programme (GAP) to January 30, 2026, as part of ongoing government efforts to curb the proliferation of illicit and unregistered firearms in the country.
The amnesty was initially for six weeks from December 1, 2025. to January 15, 2026.
However, the Ministry has said the programme has generated significant public interest and cooperation nationwide, prompting calls from key stakeholders for additional time.
According to the Ministry, continued engagements with traditional authorities, religious leaders, civil society organisations and members of the public indicate that extending the programme will allow more individuals, especially those in hard-to-reach communities, to voluntarily surrender or regularise their firearms without fear or hesitation.
As a result, the government has granted a final two-week extension, with the Gun Amnesty now running from January 16 to January 30, 2026. During this period, individuals who previously declared their intention to register their firearms under the initial amnesty window will also be allowed to complete the registration process.
The Ministry explained that the extension is intended to deepen public sensitisation, strengthen community-level engagement and provide additional opportunity for well-meaning Ghanaians to comply voluntarily, without fear of interrogation, arrest or prosecution.
However, the Interior Ministry stressed that this extension represents a final opportunity for compliance. After January 30, 2026, law enforcement agencies will intensify intelligence-led operations, swoops and targeted searches nationwide to retrieve illicit firearms.
Any individual found in possession of an unregistered or illicit firearm after the expiration of the amnesty period, the Ministry warned, will be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The Ministry reiterated that the Gun Amnesty Programme is not a witch-hunt but a life-saving national exercise aimed at protecting lives, strengthening community safety and preserving Ghana’s long-standing reputation as a peaceful and stable nation.
It further called on chiefs, elders, religious leaders, opinion leaders, youth groups, community associations and the media to continue supporting the initiative by encouraging full compliance within their communities.
“Every firearm surrendered is one less threat to lives and livelihoods,” the Ministry said. “Let us silence the guns for our own safety.”
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh