I will address Agogo crisis - Prosper Bani
Mr Prosper Douglas Bani, the Interior Minister designate has stated that when given the approval, his ministry will take a systematic and integrated approach in addressing the current nomadic crisis in Agogo, which he refers to as resource-based conflicts.
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Answering questions on how to resolve the security challenge at the vetting committee on Thursday, Mr Bani said pasture available to nomadic herdsmen was becoming limited.
The situation, he said, had been recognised and addressed by ECOWAS in a decision to provide corridors and security to nomadic herdsmen as they enter a country.
He said Ghana as a member state should revisit some of those documentations and references in order to address the current crisis.
He said such nomadic crisis currently happening in the country was a tradition that cut across countries and cited similar examples in Uganda and Kenya where he said pastoral violence had led to the destruction of farmlands and instigated minor conflicts.
Answering further questions on security, Mr Bani said the proliferation of illicit weapons in the region of 2.3 million was a scary phenomena.
He said when given the approval, one of his priorities would be to secure the borders and also train security personnel in the use of surveillance instruments to be able to detect weapon entry into the country.
Mr Bani added that the marking of weapons of both the security forces and legal traders in order to effectively trace missing weapons would be intensified.
He said local production of weapons has made it difficult to control the circulation of small arms and that if given the approval as the Interior Minister, he would work with stakeholders in order to reduce the threat and abuse of illicit weapons in the country.