Ankobra River Cleared of Changfan Machines – Lands Minister
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Ankobra River Cleared of Changfan Machines Under Operation Watershed – Lands Minister
Ghana’s fight against illegal mining is showing real results on the Ankobra River. That’s the message from Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, following a working visit to assess progress in the area.
The visit was meant to evaluate the impact of Operation Watershed, a joint effort between the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and the Navy Special Forces, who’ve spent months deployed to the region.
Armah-Kofi Buah didn’t hold back in describing what he saw. Compared to a year ago, when illegal mining activity and changfan machines dominated the river, the change is significant.
Today, I can tell you that through all the mileage we’ve covered, the Ankobra is completely cleared of changfan machines, cleared of other makeshift equipment, he said.
According to the Minister, the operation has removed nearly 3,000 changfan machines from the Ankobra, Offin, and other targeted water bodies. More than 237 arrests have also been made, including 144 foreign nationals.
He credited much of this progress to a deliberate shift in strategy moving away from occasional raids toward permanent, intelligence-led deployments. That shift, he said, has also significantly reduced the presence of heavily armed groups that once operated along the river and confronted security personnel directly.
Despite the gains, Armah-Kofi Buah was careful not to overstate where things stand. We have not gotten to that point where we want to see the river become blue, but I think we’ve made great progress in clearing all the changfan machines, he said.
He praised NAIMOS Commander Col. Kwame Sam Appiah, the Navy Special Forces, and every other team member involved, saying their work is producing results that speak for themselves. He also noted that President John Dramani Mahama has remained closely engaged with the campaign’s progress.
Clearing equipment off the river is only part of the plan, according to the Minister. The next phase, he said, will focus on tracing the individuals and networks financing illegal mining operations in the first place.
“The machines we’ve destroyed, the excavators we’ve seized those behind them are powerful forces that are hiding in the dark, he said, pledging that government will continue working to identify and prosecute those sponsors and financiers. He also stressed that integrity among personnel involved in the campaign is non-negotiable the fight, he said, cannot be compromised from within.
Col. Kwame Sam Appiah, NAIMOS Commander, reassured Ghanaians that Operation Watershed isn’t a one-off effort. The operation started on the Birim River at the end of July before moving to the Ankobra, and according to Appiah, it’s expected to extend to the Tano and Offin rivers before the year is out.
We are going to sustain these operations. I’d like to assure Ghanaians that we’ll do what we must to ensure that our water bodies are clear, he said, adding that personnel remain highly motivated and will continue working alongside the Blue Water Guards and Special Boat Squadron to carry out the mandate.
Appiah shared more detail on how the team approached the river itself, starting from Dominase and moving northward, covering roughly 16 kilometres. Along the way, the team also revisited areas that had already been cleared, to confirm the progress was holding.
The operation has also surfaced a trickier problem mining activity happening away from the riverbanks that still ends up affecting the water. Appiah explained that some operators dig tunnels from mining sites located far from the river, with the impact eventually reaching the water body regardless of distance.
He made clear that even operators holding legitimate mining licences won’t get a pass if their activities are found to be harming water bodies. We are not going to allow these people who may have legitimate licences, but are affecting the water body, to continue operating. We will go all out and shut all those mining places down, he said.
Beyond enforcement, Armah-Kofi Buah pointed to a parallel effort focused on moving young people away from illegal mining altogether, toward cooperative and responsible small-scale mining instead. Training and capacity-building programmes, he said, are being used to show that gold can be mined without destroying rivers, forests, and other critical natural resources.
For the Minister, what’s happened on the Ankobra proves that sustained security operations, solid intelligence work, and genuine alternative livelihood support can actually move the needle in this fight. Still, he acknowledged the road ahead remains difficult, pledging that government won’t relent until Ghana’s water bodies are properly protected.
