The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (MP), has inaugurated the second cohort of 530 Blue Water Guards at the Ezinlibo Naval Base in the Western Region.
Commissioning the recruits at a brief ceremony on Friday, July 25, 2025, the minister urged the new guards to commit their all to the government’s fight against illegal mining across the country.
According to him, while the government is not against mining, there is the need to wage a fierce war against the destructive effects of illegal mining — thus the establishment of the Blue Water Guards.
“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.
“That is why, under President John Dramani Mahama’s visionary leadership, we are taking bold action through the Blue Water Initiative—a comprehensive strategy to rescue our rivers and enforce sustainable practices”, the minister said.
Already, some 453 Water Guards have been deployed to keep watch in endemic areas where galamsey is prevalent.
Touching on the initial deployment, the minister noted that so far he is happy with the output of the first cohort and charged the new recruits to improve upon the successes chalked.
“This is not our first deployment; 453 personnel have already been recruited, trained, and deployed, and their impact has been
tremendous.
“Their vigilance has led to measurable progress in our fight against galamsey, proving that this approach works.
“To our new recruits: You are not just guards; you are community vanguards, entrusted with a sacred duty. In the spirit of the Young Pioneers, I charge you to uphold this responsibility with courage and integrity,” the minister admonished.
In his address, he also expressed gratitude to the Ghana Navy for their support in the training of the Blue Water Guards and called for more collaboration in the quest to make illegal mining a thing of the past.
The minister also inspected a colourful parade by the Blue Water Guards and praised the discipline, order and zeal of the young and enthusiastic guards.
Since inception, the Blue Water Guards have been providing useful intelligence around water bodies while warding off illegal miners whose activities polluted water bodies.
Working in collaboration with the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat, the Guards have been instrumental in the arrest of many illegal miners as well as the seizure of weapons and illicit mining equipment.
It is expected that a total of 2000 Blue Water Guards will be recruited by the end of the year to inject more momentum into the government’s forward march against illegal mining.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is also rolling out a raft of crucial interventions to complement the ongoing operations of the Blue Water Guards.
This includes the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP), which the minister said will soon be launched to phase out the once defunct Community Mining Schemes (CMS).
