By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The government has elevated the protection of Ghana’s water bodies and forest reserves to the level of national security, paving the way for the permanent deployment of military and police personnel to safeguard them against illegal mining.
Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, disclosed this during an appearance on GTV’s Breakfast Show on September 24, 2025. He explained that the new classification empowers the state to treat the reserves as high-security zones.
“We are now preparing to deploy permanent security forces. Anyone who engages in illegal activity in these areas does so at their own risk,” the minister cautioned.
According to Mr Buah, 3,000 trained operatives are already being deployed to the Western and Western North regions, where illegal mining has caused some of the worst destruction. This follows the establishment of the Blue Water Guard, a special task force combining military, police and forestry personnel.
In the past eight months, the task force has made over 400 arrests, seized 440 excavators and immobilized hundreds of chanfans, small-scale mining machines notorious for polluting rivers. Mr Buah emphasized that, unlike in the past, arrests are now being followed by swift investigations and prosecutions.
The minister underscored the urgency of the decision, pointing to water treatment challenges in areas such as Tarkwa and Cape Coast, where river turbidity levels have skyrocketed due to pollution from illegal mining.
“This is a national crisis. By declaring these areas security resources, we are sending the clearest signal yet that the state is ready to defend its water and forests at all costs,” Mr Buah asserted.
