From 9-13 February, UNIDIR, in partnership with the Government of Guinea, through its National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons (ComNat-ALPC) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), conducted a national weapons and ammunition management (WAM) baseline assessment in Conakry. This initiative brought together more than 50 representatives from national authorities and key stakeholders for a consultative dialogue, aiming to strengthen Guinea’s framework for the life-cycle management of weapons and ammunition.
The proliferation of illicit conventional arms and ammunition in West Africa continues to pose a significant threat to State and human security, undermining both stability and development across the region. Recognizing these challenges, Guinea undertook a nationally led WAM baseline assessment, utilizing UNIDIR’s reference methodology to systematically review institutional and operational capacities, processes and practices, in line with regional and international standards. The assessment also identified needs and national priority areas for improvement, and fostered ownership of the arms control agenda among national stakeholders.
A nationally led WAM baseline assessment
The opening ceremony, held under the auspices of ComNat-ALPC, featured remarks from senior government officials, including General David Haba, Chief of Cabinet of the Minister of Defense. Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Defense and high-level national authorities, he highlighted the vital importance of this initiative for the country’s security and stability. Joseph Ahoba, Director of the Small Arms Division at ECOWAS, formally opened the ceremony on behalf of the regional organization.
Building foundations for the future
Over the course of the week, participants engaged in high-level and technical discussions to establish a clear baseline of Guinea’s institutional and operational capacities across ten key functional areas of WAM. These include:
- National coordination mechanisms
- The legal and regulatory framework
- Transfer controls
- Stockpile management of weapons and ammunition
- Marking
- Recordkeeping
- Tracing and profiling
- Processing of illicit arms and ammunition
- Weapons collection
- Disposal of weapons and ammunition
The assessment provided a platform for stakeholders to share experiences, identify challenges and validate practical recommendations for strengthening the national WAM framework.
Driving an integrated and sustainable approach
The assessment process required active engagement to guide discussions and extract actionable findings. The workshop culminated in the substantive consolidation of key outputs including the drafting of a national roadmap. In exercising ownership of the assessment process, Guinean stakeholders led the validation of this roadmap during the final plenary session, facilitated by UNIDIR experts. In closing, national stakeholders confirmed that Guinea will utilize the validated options and recommendations to strengthen the national WAM framework. They emphasized the critical role of safe, secure and sustainable WAM for peace, security and development.
The path forward
As a next step, UNIDIR’s Conventional Arms and Ammunition Programme remains closely engaged with ECOWAS and the ComNat-ALPC. UNIDIR hopes to draw upon the assessment findings to produce a publicly available WAM Country Insight publication, intended to inform targeted international assistance as well as future policy development.
Crucially, this national WAM baseline assessment undertaken by Guinea also strengthened ECOWAS’ regional ownership and leadership in utilizing UNIDIR’s reference methodology in support of its Member States. Concurrently, it directly contributed to the strengthening of Guinea’s national framework through actionable, guided, expert recommendations.
UNIDIR remains committed to supporting Member States in building resilient and effective national and regional frameworks for weapons and ammunition management. Recent similar work in Senegal demonstrates UNIDIR’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness and monitor WAM progress made across West Africa. The Institute’s reference methodology will also soon be made available in Portuguese, unlocking new avenues for support and cooperation across the region.