Accra: Sectional Heads and selected individuals within the Blue Water Guards have undergone training focused on security and human rights frameworks to enhance safety in their operations. The Blue Water Guards, a civilian workforce established by the Minerals Commission alongside the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, are tasked with acting as whistleblowers. Their role involves collaborating with security agencies to provide crucial information on illegal mining activities in forests and water bodies, enabling a swift response.

According to Ghana News Agency, the training emphasized the Voluntary Principles on Security to ensure that participants understand and apply these principles in their operations. The initiative was supported by the Minerals Commission and the Ghana Chamber of Mines, under the aegis of the in-country group on Voluntary Principles on Security. This group includes government bodies, extractive companies, and Civil Society Organizations and is hosted by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

Mr. Albert Yelyang, the Co-Chair of the Principles and the National Network Coordinator for the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), highlighted the training’s objective to improve intelligence gathering and cooperation with security forces. This cooperation aims to pinpoint illegal mining activities accurately and ensure timely information sharing for effective action. Mr. Yelyang stressed the importance of understanding key legal frameworks such as the Geneva Convention and Chapter Five of the 1992 Constitution to uphold stakeholders’ rights and ensure maximum compliance.

Mr. Yelyang encouraged trainees to effectively utilize the information in their duties to ensure that the state emerges victorious in the fight against illegal mining.