Otumfuo to Offer Incentives for Gun Surrender in Bawku Peace Process
The King of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has announced a firearm surrender incentive to deal with the proliferation of arms in Bawku and its environs.
This is part of the Bawku reconciliation process and is envisioned to motivate Kusasis and Mamprusis with firearms to surrender them.
The Asantehene, while informing President John Dramani Mahama about the plans on December 16, 2025, proposed an amount of ¢500 for every single gun to be surrendered.
The money for this, Otumfuo noted, will not come from the government but himself.
“While talking to them also, I realised that arms and weapons were there. I spoke to them, and I think we can find a way to surrender them and get some appeasement of about GHC500.”
His Majesty is optimistic that this will sanitise the environment and make it safer for residents.
“I tested the pulse, and I believe it can be done.”
This will be part of the reconciliation stage, which will be spearheaded by a Committee made up of the National Peace Council and representatives of the two factions.
The Bawku conflict has been protracted and intractable, dating back to the precolonial era.
Post-independence Ghana has witnessed multiple shifts in government recognition of the Kusasi and Mamprusi claims to traditional authority.
Changes in governments often altered official recognition, creating a cycle of instability and undermining conflict-resolution mechanisms.
Story by Hajara Fuseini
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