New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Women’s Organiser, Mavis Hawa Koomson, is calling for the legalisation of pepper spray in Ghana to enable women to carry it for personal protection.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Burning Issues, Madam Koomson said her personal experience during the violent Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun had strengthened her belief that women should have access to the self-defence tool.
“With what happened in Ablekuma North, I would have died if not for pepper spray,” she said.
Madam Koomson disclosed that she has carried pepper spray for several years as a personal safety measure and said even those around her, including security personnel, were unaware that she had it.
“I always carry it around, and until that day, nobody knew that I carry pepper spray around,” she said.
She said the incident at Ablekuma North demonstrated the importance of having a means of protection when confronted with danger.
“Even the police in Ablekuma North didn’t know I had it on me,” she said.
Madam Koomson also pointed to practices in other countries, arguing that pepper spray is provided as a personal safety tool.
“Abroad, we give it to people for safety,” she said.
She therefore called on the government to consider formally permitting its use, indicating that she would be willing to comply with any regulatory requirements.
“If we have to get a license for pepper spray, we will. The government should legalise the use of pepper spray,” she said.
Her latest comments revive a proposal she made during her campaign for the NPP National Women’s Organiser position ahead of the party’s National Delegates Conference.
During the campaign, she pledged to make pepper spray available to NPP women, alongside personal-safety training, arguing that the item should be viewed as a protective tool rather than an instrument for confrontation.
Madam Koomson said her experience at the Ablekuma North rerun, where she used pepper spray during an assault in July 2025, was central to her position. She has previously described the action as self-defence.
She maintained that her proposal is aimed at helping women protect themselves in potentially dangerous situations.
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