At least 2,000 Ghanaian youth are to receive training necessary to enable them to protect the country's water bodies, particularly rivers, and ensure the restoration of their quality, which has been jeopardised by illegal mining activities.
Dubbed the Blue Water River Guard, the initiative launched by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources as a module under its Blue Water Initiative and will see the government equip the youth with the skills and knowledge necessary for adequate and timely protection of the country's rivers.
The "Blue Water Initiative", going to be rolled out through collaborations with various stakeholders, including the Ghana Water Company and the Water Resources Commission, seeks to rejuvenate the country's water bodies that have suffered from the detritus of unauthorised mining, by cleaning and preserving them, ensuring they remain a vital, clean, and accessible resource for all communities.
The first phase of the project will involve 400 young Ghanaian men and women who would undergo rigorous training in swimming and other skills provided by the Ghana Navy Riverine Command to make them able to deal with illegal mining operations in river bodies.
