The government is preparing to improve water body protection against illicit mining (galamsey) by recruiting, training, and deploying an additional 452 Blue Water Guards, increasing the total deployments throughout eight regions to 2,069 individuals.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, made this statement during his turn at the Government Accountability Series Press Conference at the Presidency.
According to him, 4,347 earthmoving and mining equipment units were registered at the Tema Port, and 1,864 tracking devices were installed on them in order to improve oversight of the small-scale mining industry.
He stated that 52 training programs for mitigating mercury pollution were held.
Regarding infrastructure, Mr. Buah stated that important infrastructure projects in mining areas have been delivered with notable advancements.
He stated that the Ministry, through the Minerals Commission, successfully finished a number of important projects in the first half of 2026, such as the Savannah Regional Office in Bole, Damang, Bibiani, and Akim Oda District Offices, as well as a 500-seat sports complex in Kenyasi.
He stated that these initiatives were anticipated to guarantee operational presence in certain mining locations, improve service delivery, and encourage community development.
According to Mr. Buah, the construction of a seven-story office complex in Kumasi with auxiliary facilities like state-of-the-art laboratories and a museum, the Tamale Regional Office Block, the Kyebi District Office, and staff housing projects have all reached advanced stages of completion during the period under review.
Source: newsthemegh.com