The Minority in Parliament has called for full and transparent disclosure of the individuals and entities behind the Chanfang machines recently seized at Tema Port, allegedly intended for illegal mining operations.
In a statement issued on Ghana’s 69th Independence Day, March 6, the Minority said the public had a right to know the beneficial owners, financiers, and intermediaries involved in the importation of the equipment.
The call follows reports that about 1,070 Chanfang excavators were intercepted and seized, reportedly destined for deployment in illegal mining, commonly referred to as galamsey.
While welcoming the seizure, the Minority noted that the scale of the attempted importation revealed a serious threat to the country’s rivers and forest reserves.
“The public has a right to know who sought to arm the destruction of our rivers on such a scale,” the statement said.
The group insisted that the confiscated machines be publicly destroyed without delay to prevent their re-entry into illegal mining operations
Such an action would render the equipment permanently inoperable and demonstrate the state’s seriousness in tackling illegal mining,” it added, warning that anything short of decisive action would fail to address public concern over the continued pollution of rivers and destruction of farmland.
The Minority described illegal mining as a national environmental emergency, highlighting its impact on rivers, forests, and agricultural land, and called for stronger enforcement not only against illegal miners on the ground but also against the financiers and powerful interests behind them.
It further criticised what it described as the government’s “complacent posture” toward the escalating crisis and urged urgent, uncompromising measures to protect Ghana’s natural resources for future generations.
The latest seizure comes after about 560 Chanfang diesel engines were intercepted by officers of the Preventive Unit of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority on March 5, 2026. The engines — industrial diesel units used to power water pumps and dredging equipment at illegal mining sites — were concealed in container shipments suspected to be destined for unlawful mining operations.
This followed an earlier interception on March 3, when approximately 1,070 Chanfang machines were seized in separate containers by the Environmental Protection Authority at Tema Port.
