Director of Communications at the Ministry, Mawusi Ama Mawunyefia(right)
Ghana’s fight against illegal mining intensified this week as two major national task forces — the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and the Blue Water Guards — launched simultaneous operations across two regions, dismantling illegal mining sites, seizing heavy machinery, and reclaiming degraded lands and waterways.
The sweeping enforcement campaign, which began on Monday, October 13, saw NAIMOS storm a series of illegal mining sites in the Eastern Region, while the Blue Water Guards targeted similar operations in the Western Region.
NAIMOS taskforce storms Eastern Region
Acting on credible intelligence, NAIMOS operatives descended on Oda Nkwanta, Birim Central Municipality, and the Akanteng–Asamankese area, where they uncovered active illegal mining sites destroying cocoa farms and contaminating tributaries of the River Birim.
Miners fled upon the task force’s arrival, abandoning three excavators, five motorbikes, and several other items, including excavator batteries and computer monitors. One excavator was found hidden in dense vegetation, signaling the sophistication of these clandestine operations.
The operation continued the next day, October 14, with fresh offensives at Old Abirem, Kyenkyenku, and the Oboho Forest Reserve. Officers disabled and destroyed several excavators, heavy-duty water pumps, and fuel drums.
At Old Abirem, three locals were found on the premises and taken in for questioning, a move that led the team to another site just a few kilometers away.
In Kyenkyenku, illegal miners were found working dangerously close to a public road, while in the Oboho Forest Reserve in the Ayensuano District, four excavators were discovered parked in surrounding villages — raising concerns about external backing for the illicit trade.
Blue Water Guards strike in Wassa Agona
While NAIMOS intensified its clampdown in the east, the Blue Water Guards extended the fight to the Western Region, where fresh operations were carried out in Wassa Agona, Bogoso, Bayerigya, and Mpohor to halt the destruction of water bodies and farmlands.
Earlier in the week, on Tuesday, October 14, the Mpohor Blue Water Guards undertook a high-intensity operation at Mile 9, within the Mpohor Fiase District, where a machine used for mining activities was destroyed and set ablaze.
On Wednesday, October 15, the Tarkwa Nsuaem Blue Water Guards launched a decisive raid at Wassa Agona, a community near the River Bonsa.
The operation targeted illegal mining believed to be polluting the river and degrading nearby farmlands. In total, 22 pumping machines were seized and destroyed, alongside 18 Changfang gold extraction units, which were burnt on site. The action formed part of an ongoing community-led campaign to safeguard the River Bonsa, one of the region’s most vital water sources.
The enforcement momentum carried into Thursday, October 16, when the Bogoso River Guards mounted a dawn operation at Ehyireso, within the Prestea Huni Valley Municipality, along the Mansi River.
During the exercise, one Changfang machine was destroyed and other equipment seized. Later that morning, around 9:00 a.m., another team of Blue Water Guards conducted a raid at Bayerigya, also in the Prestea Huni Valley Municipality, where two pumping machines and additional tools and components were destroyed.
Government’s ongoing commitment
Officials from both NAIMOS and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources emphasized that these operations are not isolated incidents but part of a renewed nationwide effort to reclaim Ghana’s environment from illegal mining syndicates and restore the health of rivers, forests, and farmlands.
