Western Regional Minister Joseph Nelson has called for the establishment of a permanent and strengthened Minerals Commission office in the Nzema East Municipality, arguing that it would significantly improve oversight and ensure effective regulation of mining activities across the three Nzema municipalities and surrounding communities.
His call follows a major anti-illegal mining operation conducted along the Ankobra River on December 24. The operation, led by Brigadier General Musah Whajah (Rtd), resulted in the arrest of two Chinese nationals and the disabling of five excavators suspected to be used for illegal mining.
Illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, has turned parts of the Nzema East Municipality into a hotspot, causing extensive environmental degradation, particularly along farmlands bordering the Ankobra River. In an effort to restore damaged lands, the Nzema East Municipal Assembly in July 2025 granted Namova Ghana Ltd. a permit to undertake land reclamation works in Domenase, Bamiakor, Awurazo and Akango.
However, the company has been accused of abusing the reclamation permit to engage in illegal mining activities, leaving excavated pits unfilled. Although the task force issued a warning to the company during a riverine operation about four weeks earlier, a follow-up operation on December 24 uncovered fresh violations.
A joint team from the Western Naval Command and the Second Infantry Battalion reportedly discovered newly excavated pits and a washing plant discharging wastewater directly into the Ankobra River. This occurred despite a formal revocation of Namova Ghana Ltd.’s permit by the Municipal Assembly under the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), and other applicable laws.
Explaining the operation, Brigadier General Whajah said investigations confirmed that the permit was being used for unauthorised small-scale mining rather than land reclamation.
“After confirming this with the Municipal Chief Executive, we launched a dawn raid. We found five excavators, but due to the difficult terrain, we disabled them by removing their control boards. We also arrested two Chinese nationals working at the site,” he said.
He added that the operation revealed extensive fresh mining pits, providing clear evidence of ongoing illegal mining. Brigadier General Whajah warned that the task force would not scale back operations during the Christmas period.
“We are prepared to sacrifice our own Christmas celebrations to sustain this campaign. Monitoring of the Ankobra River, including its upstream sections, will continue without interruption,” he said, issuing a strong warning to communities in Amenfi West and Amenfi Central, where he said a significant portion of illegal mining activity originates.
Commenting on the broader challenges, Regional Minister Joseph Nelson described the situation as a structural failure in mining regulation.
“The Minerals Commission has no regional office from Wassa East all the way to Jomoro. This raises serious concerns about how effective monitoring can be done, even for licensed operators,” he stated.
He noted that while security agencies are intensifying enforcement, the regulatory body itself must be more proactive. According to him, the nearest Minerals Commission office in Tarkwa is too far to effectively oversee mining activities in Nzema East, Ahanta West and Mpohor.
“As Regional Minister, I do not even know how many companies here have valid mining licences. If we asked for accurate data, it would be difficult to obtain,” he said.
Mr Nelson further pointed out that the Small-Scale Mining Secretariat is based in Accra, with no regional office in the Western Region, forcing local mining officers to report directly to the capital and bypass regional oversight.
“This alone shows the scale of the systemic challenges we are dealing with,” he added, stressing that a permanent Minerals Commission office in Nzema East is critical to winning the fight against illegal mining in the region.
Source: 3News
