Omanghana
Thousands of floating Changfan platforms and illegal miners have been removed from the Ankobra River following a year of sustained enforcement operations, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has announced.
The minister made the announcement after completing a 16-kilometre patrol of the river with personnel from the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat and the Ghana Navy Special Forces.
The inspection covered the stretch from Dominase to Gwira Banso in the Western Region and assessed the progress of efforts to eliminate illegal mining activities along the river.
The patrol took place nearly a year after Buah’s initial inspection of the Ankobra in September 2025. During that visit, several active Changfan machines and illegal mining operators were found along the riverbanks.
According to the minister, no active floating washing platforms or illegal miners were found along the 16-kilometre section inspected during the latest patrol.
“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.
Buah said the development demonstrated the effectiveness of coordinated and intelligence-driven operations by the government’s anti-illegal-mining task forces.
He also rejected claims that conditions along the entire Ankobra basin continued to deteriorate without any improvement. He said observations made during the patrol did not support those assertions.
The minister, however, acknowledged that the absence of illegal miners from the inspected stretch did not mean the river had fully recovered.
He stressed that enforcement efforts must be sustained to prevent illegal operators from returning and to allow the Ankobra’s water quality and surrounding ecosystem to recover.
NAIMOS Director of Operations Colonel K.S. Appiah said a dedicated 130-member task force had conducted targeted operations across six mining districts in the Western Region over the previous two months.
In August 2026 alone, NAIMOS carried out 19 operations in the region, with 11 conducted directly on the Ankobra River.
The exercises resulted in several arrests, the dismantling of illegal mining camps and the destruction of dozens of pieces of equipment found operating on the river.
Authorities say patrols and targeted security operations will continue along the Ankobra and other affected water bodies to consolidate the gains made and stop the return of illegal mining activities.
Source: Omanghana
