The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has defended the government’s fight against illegal mining, citing recent operations along the Ankobra River in the Western Region as evidence of significant progress.
The Ellembelle MP challenged critics questioning the government’s commitment to the fight against galamsey to visit the Ankobra and compare its current condition with what prevailed in previous years.
Mr Buah acknowledged that the river had not yet been restored to its original blue colour but said the removal of illegal mining equipment and criminal elements from the waterway represented a major step forward.
He made the remarks 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.
The Minister disclosed that nearly 3,000 mining machines had been cleared from the Ankobra, Birim and other affected water bodies, while more than 237 people had been arrested, including 144 foreign nationals.
“I’ve been informed that we are close to 3,000 machines that have been cleared, not only on the Ankobra, Brempong and the other rivers. Over 237 arrests, with 144 of them being foreign nationals,” he said.
According to Mr Buah, the government’s approach has shifted from sporadic operations to intelligence-led interventions and permanent security deployments to prevent illegal miners from returning to cleared areas.
He said the strategy is producing visible results, particularly along the Ankobra, where heavily armed groups that previously confronted security personnel had been removed.
“You have to simply come to the Ankobra and look at what the Ankobra looked like last year. And today it’s clear. We have not gotten to that point where we want to see the river blue, but I think we’ve made great progress in clearing all the changfan machines,” he said.
He urged critics to visit mining-affected communities and water bodies themselves rather than relying solely on discussions in Accra.
“I think that if you have followed this very difficult work in the last close to two years, you will not be sitting on any TV in Accra talking that we are not making progress with the fight against illegal mining,” he said.
“In fact, we are making substantial progress against the fight against illegal mining.”
Mr Buah said the Ankobra River offered a clear example of the impact of the intensified operations.
He added that security personnel no longer encountered armed groups along the river threatening them with guns.
Meanwhile, the Director of Operations at NAIMOS, Colonel K.S. Appiah, said the Secretariat had intensified its operations across the Western Region over the past two months.
He said a 130-member team had conducted 19 operations across six districts in August, 11 of which were focused on the Ankobra River.
Colonel K.S. Appiah, Director of Operations at NAIMOS
“We successfully cleared galamsey operators, destroyed several pieces of mining equipment and arrested several operators,” he said.
Colonel Appiah explained that the sustained operations were intended to prevent illegal miners from re-establishing their activities after security forces had cleared affected areas.
The latest patrol forms part of broader efforts by the government and security agencies to protect the Ankobra and other water bodies from illegal mining and restore areas degraded by the activities.
By 1960news.com
