Ghana’s mounting struggle against illegal mining has come into sharper focus following a major security operation targeting a notorious settlement known as Abrewa Ni Nkrane. Authorities had anticipated finding around 2,000 individuals engaged in illegal gold mining—locally referred to as galamsey. Instead, they uncovered a vast community of more than 10,000 people, including foreign nationals from Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.
The April 15 raid, jointly conducted by the Ghana Armed Forces and the Forestry Commission, revealed the extent of the illegal encampment’s operations. “The sheer number of people we are going to arrest would not even fit in our vehicles,” said Western Regional Forestry Manager Nana Kwabena Bosompim at a press briefing as bulldozers flattened makeshift buildings and equipment was torched. “There is no jail that could accommodate them all. So, we’ve destroyed the structures and flushed everyone out. We’ll maintain our presence here for two weeks to ensure the area is completely cleared.”
Officials say the settlement had become a centre for organised crime, hosting child prostitution, drug trafficking, counterfeiting, illegal arms trade, and human smuggling. Some of the structures, now demolished, had been used as brothels. Local residents welcomed the raid, describing the settlement as a criminal hotspot that had drawn people from across West Africa.
“This place is full of illegal miners involved in all sorts of criminal activities,” Bosompim said. “It’s like a mini ECOWAS. This is a rural area—why are they here?”
He also warned that the illegal mining hub might have links to terrorist networks operating near Ghana’s northern border.
The authorities highlighted the severe environmental damage caused by the group, particularly to the nearby Subri Forest Reserve. Bosompim stressed that mining wasn’t occurring inside the settlement itself but had spread deep into the forest, resulting in widespread destruction of vegetation.
In a related operation in the Enchi Forest District, security forces arrested 12 illegal miners—three of whom were Chinese nationals—and seized an excavator and two gold detectors. The raid took place in the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve, also in the Western Region. Officials allege that Chinese involvement in illegal mining has surged, with businesspeople reportedly supplying sophisticated machinery and collaborating with or bribing local leaders. Between 2008 and 2013, over 50,000 Chinese nationals are believed to have entered Ghana for illegal mining.
Joseph Appiah Frimpong, Manager of the Enchi Forest District, reaffirmed the Forestry Commission’s resolve to combat illegal activities in forest reserves. “We won’t relent in our efforts to protect Ghana’s natural resources,” he said. “Illegal miners and loggers must stop, or we will continue to pursue them.”
Bosompim concluded with a stern warning to others still engaged in illegal mining: “Get out of our forests, get out of our rivers. If you don’t, it’s just a matter of time before the law catches up with you.”
