The  Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has imposed an immediate ban on the fabrication, importation, sale, and use of “Changfan” machines, citing their central role in the country’s worsening environmental degradation linked to illegal small-scale mining.

In a statement released this week, the EPA said the makeshift dredging machines—often assembled locally and used to extract gold from riverbeds—have caused extensive pollution of waterways, siltation of rivers, and destruction of aquatic ecosystems.

According to the Authority, the widespread production of the machines has been taking place without the required environmental authorizations, in violation of the Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124) and the Environmental Protection (Environmental Assessment) Regulations, 2025 (L.I. 2504).

“While the fabrication and sale of these machines have become a source of livelihood for some artisans, their use in river mining has had devastating environmental consequences,” the EPA said.

Exercising powers under sections 3(2)(b) and 35 of the Act, the EPA directed an immediate halt to all activities involving Changfan machines. Workshops found producing or selling them will be shut down, and all existing equipment will be seized and dismantled, the agency said.

The Authority further ordered all individuals and businesses involved in the trade or use of Changfan machines to cease operations immediately, warning that continued violations would trigger enforcement actions in collaboration with national security agencies. These operations, it said, will include “monitoring, seizure, and prosecution where necessary.”

The EPA also issued a renewed warning to miners operating in rivers and other water bodies, reiterating that such activities remain illegal under Ghanaian environmental and mining laws.

For additional information, the public may contact the EPA at client.relations@epa.gov.gh, via telephone at 0506694760 / 0507227726, or visit www.epa.gov.gh.