The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has delivered a significant blow to illegal mining activities along the River Ankobra, destroying 86 chanfang machines in a major enforcement operation within the Ablebo General Area of the Ellembelle District in the Western Region.
In the operation conducted on August 22, 2026, security personnel arrested three suspected illegal miners who were subsequently handed over to the Axim Police Station for further investigation and potential prosecution.
Major Equipment Destruction
Beyond the 86 chanfang machines, the task force also destroyed 11 water pumps and two makeshift structures used to support illegal mining operations. The operation, which covered an extensive 35-kilometre stretch, identified and dismantled several active mining sites where operations were underway.
The team was led by 2/Lt. B.A. Apedele, whose operation report confirmed the successful disruption of illegal mining activities and the clearance of substantial quantities of equipment from the affected locations.
With support from the Ghana Integrated Iron and Steel Development Corporation (GIISDEC), some of the destroyed equipment was removed from the sites for repurposing as scrap metal, while other machinery was set ablaze on location.
Environmental Crisis on the Ankobra
The River Ankobra, one of Ghana’s major water bodies, has suffered years of devastating pollution from illegal mining activities. According to recent scientific assessment, mining-related land cover in the basin expanded from less than 1% in 1986 to approximately 3.7% by 2025, covering about 100 square kilometres.
The environmental impact has been severe, with water quality assessments recording turbidity levels ranging from approximately 114 to more than 1,000 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units), while total suspended solids have reached nearly 3,000 mg/L in some areas. The mining-related land cover has been identified as the strongest driver of sediment-related water-quality degradation in the basin.
Despite repeated raids, illegal miners continue to operate along sections of the river, prompting NAIMOS to intensify its enforcement efforts.
NAIMOS’s Coordinated Approach
NAIMOS, established under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, serves as Ghana’s central coordinating body for all anti-illegal mining activities. It operates as an intelligence-led unit integrating security, environmental, and legal responses into a unified operational strategy.
Director of Operations Dominic Buah explained that the Secretariat’s partnership with GIISDEC is part of a broader strategy to clear waterways and repurpose seized equipment for productive use. Beyond environmental cleanup, confiscated pumping machines are being redirected to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture for use by farmers, while seized vehicles are being integrated into official use after legal clearance from the Attorney General’s Department.
Broader Crackdown
The Ablebo operation forms part of NAIMOS’s intensified nationwide campaign against illegal mining. In a separate operation conducted between July 27 and August 2, 2026, the Secretariat arrested 40 suspects and seized significant quantities of mining equipment across six mining-endemic regions, including Western, Western North, Ashanti, Ahafo, Savannah, and Eastern Regions.
During that operation, personnel targeted illegal mining activities along the Ankobra, Bia, Torya, Tano, and Butre rivers, seizing excavators, vehicles, motorbikes, water pumps, generators, and firearms. The operation also identified and named alleged financiers supporting illegal mining operations, although community members remained reluctant to provide information due to fears of intimidation and reprisals from illegal miners.
Operational commanders believe that destroying the equipment will significantly reduce illegal miners’ capacity to continue their activities in the affected areas and facilitate the removal of mining infrastructure from sections of the Ankobra River corridor.
