The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has inaugurated a second batch of 530 Blue Water Guards at the Ezinlibo Naval Base in the Western Region in a renewed push to combat illegal mining.
The commissioning ceremony, held on Friday, July 25, forms part of the government’s larger crackdown on galamsey under President John Dramani Mahama’s Blue Water Initiative.
Addressing the recruits, Minister Buah underscored the government’s unwavering stance against the environmental destruction caused by illegal mining. He emphasised that the government supports responsible mining, not lawlessness.
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“Let me be clear, mining is not the enemy. When done responsibly, it can uplift communities and drive development. The enemy is the lawlessness that has turned this sector into a threat,” he declared.
He further stressed that the deployment of the Blue Water Guards is a bold and strategic intervention under President Mahama’s leadership, aimed at safeguarding Ghana’s water bodies and natural resources.
The minister commended the impact of the first cohort of 453 guards, who are currently stationed in illegal mining hotspots. According to him, their efforts have already yielded “measurable progress” in the national galamsey fight.
“Their vigilance has proven that this approach works,” Buah said. “To our recruits—you are not just guards; you are vanguards of your communities. Uphold this responsibility with courage and integrity.”
The Minister also praised the Ghana Navy for its critical role in training the recruits and called for continued collaboration between the two institutions.
Since their initial deployment, the Blue Water Guards have been instrumental in gathering valuable intelligence, scaring off illegal miners, and aiding in arrests and equipment seizures, often in partnership with the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat.
The government has announced plans to scale the program further. By year’s end, a total of 2,000 recruits are expected to be on the ground as part of the intensified effort to reclaim Ghana’s rivers and forests.
In addition to enforcement, the Ministry is set to roll out complementary programs to support legal and sustainable small-scale mining. A key initiative, the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (RCOMSDEP), is expected to be launched soon. It will replace the now-defunct Community Mining Schemes with a more regulated and development-oriented alternative.
The commissioning ceremony also featured a disciplined and spirited parade by the newly inducted recruits, earning high praise from the Minister for their professionalism and enthusiasm.
As the Blue Water Initiative gains momentum, the government is betting on a combination of strategic enforcement, inter-agency cooperation, and sustainable mining alternatives to eliminate illegal mining and protect the country’s vital water resources.