Anti-galamsey task force destroys 1,970 chanfangs in 4 months
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat in Ghana has destroyed nearly 2,000 pieces of illegal mining equipment over a four-month period. Officials announced a strategic shift to target the financiers and equipment suppliers behind the illegal mining networks rather than just the miners on-site.
Why it matters
Illegal mining causes significant environmental degradation and water pollution, and this shift in enforcement strategy aims to dismantle the economic infrastructure supporting these illicit activities.
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has destroyed nearly 2,000 chanfangs and over 800 makeshift structures in a sustained four-month operation across eight regions aimed at disrupting illegal mining networks.
The Director of Operations at the secretariat, Colonel K. S. Appiah, said the operations, carried out between June 13 and September 30, 2026, covered approximately 50,662 kilometres and involved raids, riverine patrols and reconnaissance.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Thursday, October 22, 2026, he said 738 operational activities were conducted in the Western, Western North, Central, Eastern, Ashanti, Bono, Savannah and Northern regions. The task forces recovered 74 firearms, 551 rounds of ammunition, excavators, water pumps and vehicles during the period. Suspects arrested were handed over to the appropriate authorities.
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