The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) says it has destroyed 1,970 chanfangs and 863 makeshift structures during 738 operational activities conducted between June 13 and September 30, 2026, as part of efforts to combat illegal mining.
Director of Operations at NAIMOS, Colonel K.S. Appiah, disclosed this at a media briefing on Thursday, October 22, saying the operations were aimed at disrupting illegal mining networks and protecting Ghana’s rivers and environmentally sensitive areas.
He said the activities covered approximately 50,662 kilometres and included reconnaissance, mobile and riverine patrols, raids, special operations and community engagement. The joint operations extended across the Western, Western North, Central, Eastern and Ashanti regions, as well as the Bono, Savannah and Northern operational areas.
Colonel Appiah said the operations followed an intelligence-led strategy focused on protecting strategic watersheds and river systems from their sources to their estuaries, while preventing illegal miners from returning to areas where operations had been conducted.
“Our approach focuses our efforts on conditions needed for lasting environmental security,” he said, emphasising the importance of sustained monitoring and effective control of equipment used in illegal mining.
Beyond the destruction of mining infrastructure, Colonel Appiah said NAIMOS task forces recovered 74 firearms and 551 rounds of ammunition during the four months. The teams also seized excavators, water pumps, vehicles and other equipment used to support illegal mining.
“Between 13 June, when I took over, and 30 September, NAIMOS conducted 738 operational activities covering a cumulative distance of approximately 50,662 km. Over the period, about 1970 machines and 863 makeshift structures have been destroyed, disrupting mining capacity and infrastructure that sustains it,” he said.
He added that suspects apprehended during the operations had been handed over to the appropriate authorities for investigation and further action.