Galamsey: Deploying blue water guards now is premature – Ashigbey

Ken Ashigbey, Convener of the Anti-Galamsey Coalition, has raised doubts about the immediate impact of the newly launched Blue Water Initiative, arguing that priority should be given to reclaiming degraded water bodies before deploying monitoring personnel.

Speaking on Citi FM on Monday, March 17, Ashigbey expressed concerns over the training and preparedness of the 460 Blue Water Guards already deployed, questioning their ability to effectively combat illegal mining.

“This is a nice idea, but is it the immediate solution? I would say no. We’ve had similar initiatives before, but what training have these new recruits received? How long have they been prepared for this task?” he asked.

The Blue Water Initiative, launched by Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, aims to restore polluted water bodies with an eventual deployment of 2,000 personnel.

However, Ashigbey insists that without first tackling environmental degradation at its roots, the initiative may not deliver meaningful results.