Veteran Broadcast journalist Dan Kweku Yeboah has boldly stated that the Water Guards can not stop illegal mining commonly known as galamsey.
Dan Kweku Yeboah asserted that even Soldiers are being beaten and killed by galamseyers and what of the Water Guard.
According to him, most of the young men and women engaged to become Water Guard were jobless and are now getting work to do so they can be bribed easily by galamseyers.
Speaking on Peace FM, Dan Kweku Yeboah detailed, “My point is that this fight is not the fight of the water guard, even Soldiers are being beaten and killed what of the Water Guard. What are they going to do?
If a Chinese man is holding a gun you are a water guard with just your bare hands what can you do? Even apart from the ammunition financially they are very sound and these people taken as Water Guards most of them are jobless, they are now getting work to do”, he added.
Dan Kweku Yeboah further stated, “If they go and a Chinese gives them 500 dollars they will return back to their homes. This is serious, it is like taking Peace FM Watchman to go and protect the Bank of Ghana. The solution is that if it is given to the military high command after they have been cleared then we can engage these Water Gurads and give them a walkie-talkie to blow the whistle when they see something because they are not armed to fight galamsey”.
Meanwhile, Lands Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah on 17 March 2025 launched the Blue Water Initiative, an initiative part of the broader ‘Reset Ghana Agenda’.
The Blue Water Initiative aims to train 2,000 personnel across the country to monitor river health, identify illegal mining activities, and collaborate with local communities and traditional authorities to fight galamseyers destroying Ghana’s river bodies.
Reports suggest an initial 460 river guards to protect Ghana’s water bodies from illegal mining.
He however revealed that 2,000 guards will be deployed nationwide soon, intensifying efforts to combat environmental degradation.
Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah at the event stated immediate action is needed. “Illegal mining is not just an environmental issue, it is a national crisis. We must act now,” he highlighted.
Ghana has over the years seen multiple anti-galamsey efforts in the past, many of which have failed due to corruption and weak enforcement.
However, the Lands Minister believes involving the local residents will help deal with the corruption and weak enforcement.
“The difference this time is that we are putting our own people in charge of their own future,” Minister Buah asserts.
Watch the video below:
It’s not even funny.. How did we move from soldiers to these people? And we’re pretending as if everything is okay. 🤦🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/bKz4PMzLbF
— Mr Irish (@MrIrish3) March 19, 2025
