GIS trains 146 officers to strengthen firearms accountability

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has trained 146 officers in weapon safety and armoury management in a move to strengthen accountability in the handling, storage and tracking of firearms and ammunition.

The two-day seminar, held at the Ghana Immigration Centre of Excellence in Accra on 28th and 30th October 2026, brought together regional and selected sector commanders for practical training in the safe handling, storage, issuance and tracking of weapons.

The programme was organised in collaboration with armoury management experts from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), the Ghana Police Service (GPS) and the Small Arms Commission of Ghana.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mr Samuel Basintale Amadu, described the training as a timely intervention to protect officers, safeguard state-owned weapons, prevent the loss of firearms and ammunition, and sustain public confidence in the Service.

He urged participants to apply the knowledge and skills acquired to improve practices within their respective commands, stressing that proper weapon management was fundamental to professionalism, discipline and operational readiness.

The Armourer General of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Isaac K. Asante, highlighted the risks associated with weak inventory controls, poor record-keeping and inadequate supervision of weapons.

He urged Regional and Sector Commanders to maintain accurate registers, conduct regular inspections and enforce strict procedures for the issuance and return of firearms and ammunition.

DCOP Asante emphasised that every weapon and round of ammunition must be accounted for and traceable to a responsible officer at all times.

Lieutenant Colonel Frank Tetteh-Kumah, Commander of the 851 Ammunition and Explosives Ordnance Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, also took participants through standard operating procedures governing military armoury management.

He encouraged the Immigration Service to adopt relevant aspects of the military’s systems, particularly in physical security, access control, documentation, routine audits and command-level accountability.

A delegation from the Small Arms Commission, led by its Director of Operations, Emmanuel Felix Mantey, facilitated sessions on stockpile management and firearm safekeeping.

The sessions addressed measures to prevent weapon diversion, restrict unauthorised access, improve storage conditions and ensure proper tracking of firearms throughout their lifecycle.

The Head of Intelligence of the Ghana Immigration Service, Deputy Commissioner of Immigration (DCOI) Kwasi Opoku Apau, described the seminar as timely, particularly in view of the Service’s expanding responsibilities in border and national security.

He said building officers’ capacity in weapon safety and armoury management was essential to the Service’s ambition to become a model institution in migration and border management.

The Ghana Immigration Service says the seminar is expected to improve compliance with weapon-safety procedures, strengthen supervision across Regional and Sector Commands and foster a stronger institutional culture of accountability in the management of firearms and ammunition.