The Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners’ Ashanti Regional Branch has approved the Blue Water River Guard training program.
Regional Secretary Michael Adu Gyamfi noted that one of the challenges that had confronted the fight against illegal mining was the inability of the task force to swim, making it easier for illegal miners to swim away when officials storm out to water bodies to arrest them.
In an interview on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he opined that if well implemented, it will go a long way in assisting in the fight against galamsey.
He stated that although this may not be a novelty, it will help in dealing with the fight against galamsey.
He suggested that the government must provide the water guards with all the needed resources and logistics to fight against galamsey.
He further stated that the Association is opposed to anyone mining on bodies of water, and hence such individuals are not eligible to become members.
Michael Adu Gyamfi posited that most of these illegal miners are foreign nationals with support from Ghanaians.
“The fight against galamsey in our water bodies is not an easy thing to do. The training is not enough. The guards need to be well-resourced to make their work much easier. These illegal miners are swimmers, and so when you go after them, they jump into the water and swim away. You cannot shoot them, and so the water guards will come in handy since they can also swim and chase after them.”
He also believed that these guards should be permanently stationed at various water bodies.
Background
The government, through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, has launched the Blue Water River Guard training program.
It is an innovative module under the Blue Water Initiative, which will equip 2,000 Ghanaian youth with the skills and knowledge necessary to safeguard Ghana’s river bodies effectively.
The first phase of the project will involve 400 young Ghanaian men and women undergoing rigorous training by the Ghana Navy Riverine Command under the auspices of the Minerals Commission.This training will provide them with the expertise needed to combat illegal mining operations on river bodies.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
