The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has commissioned the third cohort of the Blue Water Guards at the Ezinlibo Naval Base in the Jomoro Municipality as part of government’s sustained efforts to protect Ghana’s water bodies from illegal mining activities.
The newly commissioned cohort, made up of more than 600 young men and women drawn from the Ashanti, Central and Eastern Regions, has completed rigorous training and is fully prepared for deployment.
Their primary mandate is to complement national security agencies in the surveillance and protection of rivers and other water bodies threatened by galamsey.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Armah-Kofi Buah described the Blue Water Guards as a critical pillar in Ghana’s environmental protection strategy, noting that the initiative reflects government’s determination to safeguard the country’s natural resources for present and future generations.
The commissioning builds on earlier deployments under the Blue Water Guards programme. In April this year, the Minister commissioned 453 recruits at the same Ezinlibo Naval Operating Base following four weeks of intensive training in surveillance, survival swimming, boat handling and basic combat techniques.
Those recruits were deployed to work closely with the Ghana Navy to monitor key rivers including the Ankobra, Pra, Fia, Tano and Bonsa.
At the time, the Minister underscored that the Blue Water Guards serve as frontline intelligence officers, tasked to observe, report and escalate illegal activities rather than engage in direct confrontation. He also announced the establishment of Temporary Operating Bases along major rivers to support real-time intelligence sharing and rapid response operations.
The Blue Water Guards initiative is being rolled out nationwide, with plans to expand coverage to additional regions while creating thousands of direct jobs for the youth and strengthening environmental protection efforts.
Government has reiterated its call on traditional authorities, communities and the general public to support the initiative by reporting illegal mining activities, stressing that the fight against galamsey requires collective national responsibility.
