Ghana’s government graduated 452 new Blue Water Guards recruits in the Western Region on Friday, May 16, raising the total number of trained and deployed personnel to approximately 2,071 as the initiative deepens its reach across the country.
The graduation was held at a Ghana Navy base in Ezinlibo, with Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah confirming that the programme now operates across more than 100 districts spanning eight regions.
“Our gathering here today is not merely ceremonial,” Buah said.
The minister pointed to early improvements in water quality across communities where guards have been stationed, saying nearly every district with active deployments had recorded positive changes in local water systems. Authorities are presenting the results as evidence that the programme is beginning to deliver on its environmental mandate.
The Blue Water Guards were launched in March 2025 as a targeted response to illegal small-scale mining, known locally as galamsey, which has severely polluted rivers and degraded forest reserves across Ghana’s gold-producing regions. The newly graduated recruits will patrol water bodies, monitor mining activities, identify and report illegal operations, and support environmental education campaigns in affected communities.
Buah urged the new guards to serve with professionalism, integrity and patriotism, and called on communities to align behind the fight against illegal mining.
Galamsey remains one of Ghana’s most serious environmental threats. As one of Africa’s leading gold producers, the country has faced sustained pressure from environmental groups, policymakers and development partners over river pollution and land degradation linked to illegal mining activity.
The government has stepped up enforcement in recent years, deploying security personnel and task forces alongside community programmes such as the Blue Water Guards to protect water bodies and begin reversing environmental damage in affected areas.
