West African Action Network on Small Arms, WAANSA, has called for international collaboration to address the issue of small arms proliferation in Africa.
This call was made by the director of Programmes of WAANSA Nigeria, Francisco Chidi George-Okoli, in commemoration of the 2025 Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence held at National Orientation Agency Hall, Old Secretariat, Area 1, Abuja.
Distinguished Guests, Colleagues, Ladies According George-Okoli, “This year’s conference is a powerful reminder of our collective responsibility to confront and end the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons across our communities, nations, and regions.
Before we dive into the substance of this year’s campaign, allow me to briefly introduce two organizations central to this global movement: IANSA and WAANSA.
The International Action Network on Small Arms, IANSA, is a global coalition of civil society organisations working to stop the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons. It leads the annual Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence, GWoA, and coordinates efforts to promote peace, security, and development by controlling the illicit arms trade.
“WAANSA, the West African Action Network on Small Arms – is the regional branch of this movement, operating across West Africa and representing IANSA’s mission in our local contexts. WAANSA Nigeria, in particular, plays a strategic role in advocating for stronger arms control, engaging communities, and supporting national implementation of international frameworks.”
George-Okoli noted that the Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence needs members and partners to stand in unity against gun violence, adding that it is an international advocacy effort dedicated to curbing the illicit trade and misuse of small arms and light weapons (SALW). In 2025, this campaign runs from 2nd to 8th June, under the powerful theme:
“Protect the Future: Control Small Arms and Their Ammunition for Global Safety.”
This year’s theme emphasizes the urgent need to safeguard our collective future by addressing one of the most persistent sources of insecurity: unregulated small arms, light weapons, and their ammunition.
He said that the campaign aimed at taming uncontrolled spread of small arms which had continued to fuel conflict, armed violence, and organised crime in every region of the world. As a result, communities suffer from instability, development is undermined, and innocent lives are lost daily.
This year’s campaign highlights key strategic actions:
George-Okoli stressed the need for strengthening control measures over the transfer, stockpiling, and use of small arms and ammunition; safe collection and destruction of surplus weapons and munitions; mainstreaming gender and engaging youth in arms control and peacebuilding; promoting national and regional benchmarks for SALW control; supporting the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.
- Enhancing civilian oversight and regulation of small arms possession.
- He added that “these pillars align closely with international frameworks such as the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms, UNPoA, and the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management, which guide state and civil society cooperation on arms control.
- He asserted that the Global Week of Action is not just about raising awareness, but a call for real, measurable change. With the support of governments, civil society, academia, international bodies, and most importantly, the communities affected by gun violence, we must.
