The National Concerned Small-Scale Miners Association, Ghana (NCSSMAG) has launched an Anti-Galamsey Taskforce to curb illegal mining on the country’s rivers and streams.

The taskforce, comprised of association members, will monitor operations, enforce compliance, and promote sustainable practices through peer reviews.

It has been deployed across major mining areas and equipped with a speedboat to patrol waterways, complementing the government’s Blue Water Guards programme.

The initiative follows the dissolution of a police-led taskforce by the Inspector-General of Police, with the National Association of Industrial Mining Operators of Ghana (NAIMOS) now taking charge of anti-illegal mining operations.

Michael Kwadwo Peprah, President of NCSSMAG, said the taskforce is mandated to remove unlicensed miners from water bodies and work closely with the media to raise awareness of the initiative.

“All our members in the various districts are also going to form a taskforce for the peer review system. We know wherever illegal mining is taking place, and the taskforce is mandated to go to those areas,” Peprah said.