The Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Policies and Research, Kwadwo Nsafoah Poku, has cast doubt on the effectiveness of the government’s newly introduced Blue Water Guards, arguing that the initiative will fail to curb the destruction of Ghana’s rivers caused by illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, September 27, Mr Poku said the Blue Water Guards initiative, recently launched by the Mahama administration, lacks the strength and capacity to make a meaningful impact.

He compared the new team to Operation Vanguard, which deployed 400 military and police personnel in 2017 to enforce a nationwide ban on small-scale mining under President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration.

“Even their new Blue Water Guards will not succeed, because if 400 soldiers couldn’t stop the destruction of our rivers, people in T-shirts won’t either,” he stated.

Mr Poku noted that the fight against galamsey has historically been challenging and that deploying lightly resourced teams would not address the root causes of the problem.

He recalled that in 2017, when President Akufo-Addo assumed office, his government suspended all small-scale mining, both legal and illegal, for about 20 months. Operation Vanguard was then rolled out to enforce the ban.

According to him, the move, though bold, came at a high political cost for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

“The mining communities were crying that, look, that’s our livelihood. They are not getting money. People kept saying there was a cascading effect, and traders and others in those areas all suffered,” he said.

Mr Poku explained that this backlash was exploited by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) during the 2020 elections.

“In places like Juaboso, where there were 54 polling stations, the NPP lost all of them. We also lost Upper Denkyira West, a seat we had always held, because the galamsey people were going around giving people money to vote against us,” he revealed.

He added that the NDC’s campaign messaging gave affected communities hope of a more relaxed approach to mining activities if the party won power.

“The NDC told the people, vote for us, and we will not stop your mining. That carried forward into 2024,” he said.

Mr Poku criticised the current government for failing to deliver on its promises to tackle galamsey, saying little progress has been made since taking office.

“In nine months of the Mahama administration, none of the promises in their manifesto on galamsey have been fulfilled. The only thing they have implemented is the GoldBod,” he stated.

He insisted that without strong enforcement and a clear strategy, the introduction of initiatives like the Blue Water Guards would do little to stop the destruction of water bodies and other natural resources.