June 29, 2025 — An anti-galamsey task force of the Western Regional Coordinating Council (WRCC) has destroyed 75 chanfang machines on the Ankobra River.
The task force, which achieved significant results, also recovered two excavators from the river.
The operation, led by the Western Regional Minister, Hon. Joseph Nelson, forms part of the Blue Water initiative by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, aimed at restoring river bodies polluted by illegal mining activities, commonly known as galamsey.
The directive by the Western Regional Minister was carried out through a joint operation by the Western Naval Command and the 2nd Infantry Battalion, under the leadership of Brigadier General Musah Whajah (Rtd).
The Ankobra River is one of the major rivers in Ghana. It is located in the southwest of the country, meandering northeast of Wiawso and flowing approximately 190 kilometers (120 miles) south through Ankobra town to the Gulf of Guinea. It enters the ocean about 60 kilometers west of the city of Takoradi.
By Kodwo Nyamekeh
