Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has revealed that the Ankobra River has been cleared of thousands of Changfan machines and illegal mining (galamsey) operators following a year of sustained patrols.

He 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 marked about a year since the Minister first inspected the river in September 2025, when illegal mining activities were visibly ongoing along its banks.

Mr Buah said Thursday’s patrol showed a marked improvement in the river, with the Changfan machines and 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.

He acknowledged concerns that the pollution of the Ankobra River was worsening but said the situation observed during the patrol did not support that assessment. The Minister, however, stressed the need to sustain the operations to consolidate the gains and allow the river to fully recover.

Director of Operations at NAIMOS, Colonel K.S. Appiah, said the Secretariat had intensified 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.

“Eleven of these operations were on the Ankobra River. We successfully cleared galamsey operators, destroyed several pieces of mining equipment and arrested several operators,” he said.