Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, the former head of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme, has questioned whether the government’s recently launched Blue Water Initiative, which aims to stop galamsey, or illegal mining, and protect Ghana’s water resources, is working. The initiative, which was led by the Hon.
The initial group of 460 security guards has been trained by Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, and there are plans to deploy an additional 2,000 across the country. It will be the responsibility of these guards to enforce environmental protection laws and stop illegal mining near water bodies. However, Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, who had been involved in youth employment issues for more than four years, questioned, in a Facebook post, whether these guards would remain dedicated to their responsibilities in light of the financial incentives at play.
It was alleged that some of the soldiers koraa joined the galamsey na foot soldiers. If you chase someone who makes GHS 20,000 per day for GHS 1,500. If you were me, would you not join the Galamsey?” He inquired of the minister. According to Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, the guards’ relatively low salary of GH1,500 may expose them to bribery or even participation in illegal mining, where miners are said to earn up to GH20,000 per day.
The statement made by Kofi Ofosu Nkansah reflects a larger public concern regarding the viability of government-led anti-galamsey efforts, particularly in light of previous instances in which officials in law enforcement were accused of conspiring with illegal miners for personal gain. How the government will address these issues and guarantee the Blue Water Initiative’s effectiveness is unknown.
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Read his full post here: Facebook link.