The Ministry of the Interior has revoked all existing firearm licences across the country with immediate effect, launching an extensive reform of Ghana’s firearms regulatory system that will require all gun owners to reapply under stricter conditions.
The announcement was made on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, during a press briefing in Accra by the Interior Minister, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, who said the decision forms part of efforts to address gaps in the current licensing regime and enhance public safety.
Under the new framework, all firearm holders will be required to undergo a fresh application process, which includes mandatory mental health evaluations, drug screening, and structured firearms training before any licence is reissued.
According to the Minister, the review has become necessary due to growing concerns about the misuse of legally registered firearms.
“In the last few months, we have seen an increase in some individuals committing suicide with firearms that are registered. Because of that, from this afternoon, all permits that has been granted to any individual holding a sidearm or firearm is hereby revoked,” he stated.
He further explained that the government is opening a new registration window for all affected gun owners to reapply under revised procedures.
“We are revoking them and opening a window where everyone will have to come forward again to re-register their guns because we have changed the procedure. We have realised that there is a short gap in the registration procedure that we have been using,” he added.
As part of the broader reforms, the Interior Ministry also announced plans to destroy more than 2,000 firearms that have either been voluntarily surrendered or confiscated under the national gun amnesty programme.
The move comes amid heightened scrutiny of firearms regulation, following recent security concerns linked to private security operations. The Ministry recently suspended the operating licence of Kantanka Security Services Limited after a shooting incident in Kwabenya that left former Dome-Kwabenya MP Sarah Adwoa Safo injured.
