A major joint enforcement operation has dealt a significant blow to illegal mining activities threatening Ghana’s environmentally sensitive Cape Three Points Forest Reserve.
The three-day operation by the Forestry Commission destroyed 78 Changfan machines and 106 water-pumping units, with 11 suspects arrested.
The operation comes amid growing concern over the impact of illegal mining on the coastal ecosystem and Ghana’s first Marine Protected Area (MPA).
Three-day operation
The exercise, conducted from Sunday, July 26, to Wednesday, July 29, 2026, was led by the Takoradi Forestry Services Division in collaboration with the Wildlife Division from the Ankasa Forest Reserve.
The team targeted illegal mining hotspots stretching from Tumentu to Princess Town.
Personnel involved included Range Managers, Forest Guards, Youth for Change personnel, Rapid Response Team members and officers from the Wildlife Division.
On the first day near Tumentu, the team destroyed 22 Changfan machines, 18 water-pumping units and four rubber tents.
Operations intensified on the second day, with 41 Changfan machines and 58 water-pumping units destroyed. Twelve rubber tents were also dismantled, while nine suspects were arrested and handed over to the Central Police Station in Takoradi.
The final operation around Princess Town destroyed another 15 Changfan machines, 30 water-pumping units and three rubber tents.
Two additional suspects were arrested and handed over to the Sekondi Police.
Threat to marine ecosystem
The crackdown comes days after the Paramount Chief of Lower Dixcove, Nana Akwasi Agyeman IX, raised concerns over the devastating impact of illegal mining on the Greater Cape Three Points area.
He warned that chemicals from mining operations were discolouring coastal waters, driving fish deeper into the sea and threatening the newly established Marine Protected Area.
Marine conservation expert and Director of Hen Mpoano, Stephen Kankam, has welcomed the enforcement action but says temporary operations will not be enough to protect the area.
He is calling for the establishment of permanent protection camps within the forest reserve to maintain a continuous law-enforcement presence.
Kankam warns that any lapse in enforcement could allow illegal miners to return to cleared sites.
One connected ecosystem
According to him, protecting the Marine Protected Area cannot be separated from protecting the forest reserve and surrounding ecosystems.
The Cape Three Points Forest Reserve, adjoining mangroves and rivers flowing through the area are all ecologically connected to the marine environment.
He says the entire landscape must therefore be managed as one integrated ecosystem if the MPA is to achieve its objective of restoring fish stocks and protecting marine biodiversity.
The enforcement challenge
Despite repeated raids by enforcement agencies, illegal mining remains a persistent threat in the reserve.
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has also conducted several operations in the area in recent months.
But authorities and conservationists face a familiar challenge: miners often return to cleared sites after enforcement teams leave.
The 11 suspects arrested during the latest operation have been handed over to the police and could face prosecution under Ghana’s mining and environmental laws.
For conservationists, however, destroying the machines is only the first step.
The bigger test will be whether authorities can maintain a permanent presence in the forest and prevent the miners from returning.
The message from conservationists is clear: protecting Cape Three Points’ forests, rivers, mangroves and marine waters must be treated as one fight.
By Peter Quao Adattor/paqmediagh
