Blue Water Guards programme failing in fight against galamsey – Akwasi Konadu

Former Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Akwasi Konadu, has slammed the government’s Blue Water Guards programme, labeling it a failed initiative that is impeding efforts to combat illegal mining. In a press release shared on his social media platforms, Mr Konadu emphasized that the recent arrest of nine guards at Manso Adubia in the Ashanti Region, accused of bribery and impersonating National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) personnel, should not be viewed as an isolated disciplinary issue.

He stressed that this incident raises critical questions about the program's design, supervision, and accountability, which were intended to safeguard Ghana’s rivers and water bodies from the detrimental impact of illegal mining.

Mr Konadu argued that the failure to address these issues is not merely the fault of nine individuals, but rather a broader failure of the program’s institutional design, oversight, and accountability. He questioned why the government continues to face allegations of misconduct from the Blue Water Guards, even after previous warnings about their susceptibility to bribes from illegal miners.

He urged for an independent and thorough audit of the programme, scrutinizing its recruitment procedures, supervision frameworks, operational mandates, disciplinary measures, and financial expenditures.

The Manhyia North MP suggested that the success of the Blue Water Guards should be evaluated based on environmental outcomes rather than the sheer number of recruits. He contended that the effectiveness of an anti-galamsey program cannot be measured by the number of people employed; instead, it should be gauged by the improvement in riverwater quality, the protection of forests, and the eradication of illegal mining activities from vulnerable communities.