Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Social media users mock Mahama’s Blue Water Guards initiative to fight galamsey

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Blue Water Guards  will provide 24-hour monitoring and protection of the nation’s water bodies Blue Water Guards will provide 24-hour monitoring and protection of the nation’s water bodies

Ghanaians on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, have poured scorn on the John Mahama-led government’s flagship Blue Water initiative, aimed at fighting galamsey and restoring polluted water resources.

As part of the initiative, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, on March 17, 2025, announced the commencement of a four-week training program for the first batch of 460 Blue Water Guards, who will provide 24-hour monitoring and protection of the nation’s water bodies.

The minister emphasized that the Blue Water Guards will serve as vigilant stewards, safeguarding water resources from the devastating effects of illegal mining. He also revealed plans to train and deploy 2,000 guards nationwide in the coming months.

“The call for urgent action has never been more pressing. People often do not want us to say it, but this is a crisis of our lifetime. At the heart of why we are here is the Blue Water Initiative, and at the heart of this initiative is the Blue Water Guard. This aims to train 2,000 individuals across the country to protect our valuable water bodies.

“They will serve as the frontline defenders of our water bodies and ensure that our water bodies remain a source of life and livelihood for generations to come. The responsibility of the Blue Water Guards is paramount in the fight against illegal mining,” he stated.

However, netizens believe that this move is not the way to go, as they feel the Blue Water Guards will lack the capacity to protect the water bodies and keep them clean.

“Even military personnel bribe them, let alone these hungry NDC fool soldiers,” one user said.

“Tweaaa, boys and girls. Military, forestry + police, we don’t see results, just NDC foot soldiers,” another added.

Another user views the initiative as a waste of state funds.

“The Blackman and his impetuous decisions. We’re just causing financial loss to the state. Yɛrekɔsɛe sika kwa!”

One user believes the initiative shows how unserious Ghana is.

“What is this? Are we serious at all as a country? How can these people fight galamsey?”

Paakwesi Humble African holds the view that the guards will be compromised when they go on the field.

“They will go collect bribes and come home.”

KA

Meanwhile, catch the first in the series of our special episodes on Forgotten Forts on People and Places on GhanaWeb TV below. This episode focuses on Fort Amsterdam at Abandze:

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