The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) says the number of changfan machines operating on the River Tano has reduced significantly following sustained enforcement under its Operation Water Shield campaign against illegal mining.

In a Facebook post on Friday, October 30, 2026, the NAIMOS spokesperson, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, said a team of 15 journalists had accompanied officials to the river earlier in the day to assess the impact of the operation.

He said the visit gave the journalists an opportunity to observe and independently assess the progress of the anti-galamsey campaign along the river and its surrounding areas.

“The most crucial development to report is that changfans on River Tano HAVE GREATLY REDUCED,” Mr Schandorf wrote, crediting the sustained operations led by the Director of Operations at NAIMOS, Colonel K. S. Appiah.

Sustained operations

Mr Schandorf said NAIMOS would maintain surveillance on the Tano and other critical water sources as the government pursued efforts to restore polluted water bodies to their natural state.

He cautioned, however, that the reduction in mining equipment did not mean the river had already been restored to its original condition.

“The destruction of hundreds of changfans on the Tano River doesn’t immediately make it pure, but it’s a crucial starting point,” he said.

He added that further measures would be taken under the leadership of the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, to protect and restore affected water bodies.

Operation Water Shield

Operation Water Shield is a sustained, intelligence-led enforcement campaign launched by NAIMOS in September 2026 to protect major rivers, watersheds and other critical water resources from illegal mining.

The campaign seeks to move beyond isolated raids by targeting illegal mining activities along river systems, dismantling the machinery used in the operations and preventing miners from returning to areas cleared by security teams. Its priority water bodies include the Birim, Ankobra, Tano, Bia, Pra and Offin rivers, as well as affected sections of the Black and White Volta systems.

The operation has already seen enforcement action along the Tano River. On October 19, for example, NAIMOS destroyed 92 changfan machines and arrested three suspected illegal miners during an operation at Asemkrom in the Aowin Municipality of the Western North Region. The operation targeted mining platforms and equipment operating directly on the river near the Jema-Asekrom Forest Reserve.

NAIMOS has said the broader strategy includes sustained patrols and surveillance to prevent illegal miners from reoccupying cleared areas, alongside action against the networks and equipment suppliers that facilitate illegal mining.

Focus on water-body recovery

The latest assessment comes amid continuing concerns over the environmental damage caused by galamsey, including pollution of rivers and the degradation of surrounding land.

Mr Schandorf said the reduction in changfans was an important step but indicated that further work would be needed to secure the river and support its recovery.

He said NAIMOS would continue its surveillance and enforcement efforts in line with President John Dramani Mahama’s vision of restoring water bodies to their natural condition.

The challenge now is to sustain the gains, prevent illegal mining from returning and establish measurable improvements in the condition of the River Tano.

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River Tano changfan machines reduce significantly - NAIMOS spokesperson

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