Ankobra river cleared of changfan machines after year-long anti-galamsey operations

Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah says the Ankobra River has been cleared of thousands of Changfan machines and illegal mining operators following a year of sustained anti-galamsey operations.

Mr Buah made the disclosure on Thursday, September 3, 2026, after joining the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and Navy Special Forces on a 16-kilometre patrol of the Ankobra River, from Dominase to Gwira Banso in the Western Region.

The patrol came approximately a year after the Minister first inspected the river in September 2025, when illegal mining activities were visibly ongoing along its banks.

According to Mr Buah, Thursday’s inspection showed a significant improvement, with the Changfan machines and illegal mining operators previously seen along the stretch no longer present.

“It clearly shows that we are turning the corner. We are using more intelligence-led operations. We are being very intentional about these operations, and the results are showing,” he said.

The Minister acknowledged concerns that pollution of the Ankobra River was worsening but said the conditions observed during the latest patrol did not support that assessment.

He nevertheless stressed the need to sustain the operations to consolidate the gains already made and give the river sufficient time to recover fully.

Director of Operations at NAIMOS, Colonel K.S. Appiah, said the Secretariat had intensified its operations across the Western Region in recent months.

“For the past two months, my 130-man team has conducted special operations across six districts of the Western Region, with 19 operations conducted in August alone,” he said.

Colonel Appiah added that 11 of the August operations were carried out on the Ankobra River.

“We successfully cleared galamsey operators, destroyed several pieces of mining equipment and arrested several operators,” he said.

The latest patrol forms part of ongoing efforts by the government and security agencies to curb illegal mining, protect Ghana’s water bodies and restore degraded mining-affected areas.

Jacqueline Nana Tutua