NAIMOS destroyed 61 machines on the Tano. Three days later, the miners were back

On Friday 30 October, the spokesperson for the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), Paa Kwesi Schandorf, wrote on Facebook that changfans on the River Tano "have greatly reduced". He said 15 journalists toured the river that day, and added that destroying hundreds of changfans "doesn't immediately make it pure, but it's a crucial starting point". His post was reported by MyJoyOnline; it is a single source.

NAIMOS's own reports from the same river tell a fuller story.

Back in three days

On 15 October, a NAIMOS team on the Tano at Asemkrom, in the Aowin District of the Western North Region, near the Jema-Asekrom Forest Reserve, destroyed 61 chanfang machines. It recovered six water pumps and a generator, and arrested three suspects, who were handed to the police.

On 18 October a follow-up patrol found the miners back, with "several platforms and chanfang machines operating directly on the water". The team destroyed 31 more machines and seized two outboard motors, bringing the total to 92. In its statement, NAIMOS said "the continued return of illegal miners after enforcement exercises underscored the need for sustained patrols". Both operations were reported by MyJoyOnline and GhanaWeb.

NAIMOS's own yardstick

At a media briefing on Thursday 22 October, NAIMOS's Director of Operations, Col. K.S. Appiah, set out how the work should be judged: "We must judge our progress by whether cleared areas remain secure, illegal activity declines, cases advance through the justice system, and environmental recovery becomes measurable." The quote comes from MyJoyOnline's report of the briefing.

At the same briefing NAIMOS gave its figures for 13 June to 30 September 2026: 738 operations, about 50,662 km covered, about 1,970 machines and 863 structures destroyed, and 74 firearms and 551 rounds of ammunition recovered. These are NAIMOS's own numbers.

Do cleared areas stay clear? On the Tano at Asemkrom, the miners were back within three days.

Do cases advance through the courts? The three men arrested on 15 October were handed to the police "for further investigation". We found no published charge or court date. Nationally, President John Dramani Mahama told Parliament in his State of the Nation Address on 27 February 2026 that more than 114 galamsey case dockets were pending before the courts, Graphic Online reported. Lands Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has said: "The challenge is not the arrest, but the prosecution." In October, the Kwahu East District Chief Executive said arrests in parts of his district had yielded no prosecutions, according to Citi Newsroom (single source). Cases can reach the end: in July 2026, former NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, known as Chairman Wontumi, was convicted in the Samreboi illegal mining case.

Is recovery measurable? The Tano is the raw water source for Ghana Water plants at Tanoso, Abesim and Acherensua in the Sunyani area. ChannelOne News (8 January 2026) and GhanaWeb have reported plants shut and supply to Abesim, Sunyani and Tanoso hit by galamsey pollution. NAIMOS's own 18 October statement said in-stream mining had "increased the river's turbidity". We could not find any published 2026 turbidity reading for the Tano from before or after Operation Water Shield.

The supply chain

On Monday 26 October, NAIMOS impounded a truck carrying 22 brand-new chanfang machines at Eshaem in the Nzema East District, MyJoyOnline reported, citing NAIMOS (single outlet). A day earlier, an operation at Eshaem had destroyed 28 chanfangs, 19 pumps and five structures.

Later that week, a second truck was stopped at Akontombra Nkwanta in Aowin. It carried 43 chanfang machines, 28 water pumps, 28 large pans, hoses, shafts, hammers, Wellington boots, raincoats and blowtorches. The truck and a Toyota Corolla were seized, and two people were arrested and handed to the Enchi Police. That makes 65 brand-new machines on two trucks in one week, reported by MyJoyOnline and Adom Online. According to NAIMOS, as reported by MyJoyOnline, the interceptions show "organised supply chains capable of replacing equipment destroyed during enforcement operations".

At the 22 October briefing, Col. Appiah said the focus would now target "the equipment, suppliers, and facilitators who sustain illegal mining".

Banned by two governments

On 20 August 2021, under the Akufo-Addo (NPP) government, Deputy Lands Minister George Mireku Duker ordered local manufacturers to stop producing changfang machines "with immediate effect", warning that anyone who flouted the order would be "arrested and severely dealt with", Graphic Online reported.

In October 2024, the general secretary of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM), Godwin Armah, was quoted by MyJoyOnline saying "over 90 per cent" of the imported machines end up on water bodies, and asked the government to restrict their import.

On 29 October 2025, under the Mahama (NDC) government, the Environmental Protection Authority announced an "immediate ban on the fabrication, importation, and use of Chanfan machines without an official permit", under Act 1124 and L.I. 2504. Workshops and shops were to shut and equipment was to be seized. MyJoyOnline, Citi Newsroom and Adom Online reported the ban.

The two trucks were stopped almost exactly a year later. Where the 65 machines were made or imported, who ordered them, and whether any EPA permits exist has not been made public. NAIMOS says its investigation is ongoing.