The Ankobra River is one of Ghana's major rivers, rising in the highlands north-east of Wiawso in the Western North Region and flowing roughly 190–260 km south to empty into the Gulf of Guinea near Axim in the Western Region. It is the principal river of Ghana's south-western corner, draining a basin that covers parts of the Western and Western North regions — the same forested, gold-rich belt that has made this area the heart of Ghana's mining economy for centuries. Along its course lie towns such as Prestea, Bogoso, Tarkwa and Nsuaem, all tied to the goldfields, while its lower reaches pass through the Nzema lands before reaching the sea at Axim, home of Fort San Antonio and the historic Nzema coastal trade. The Ankobra matters for several reasons. It is one of the rivers that gave the Gold Coast its name — European traders in the 15th–17th centuries worked gold from the Ankobra and its tributaries, and the river was a key artery for transporting gold and goods to the coast. Today it supports fishing, small-scale farming along its banks, and provides water for communities and mining operations. It is also ecologically significant: its estuary and mangrove areas near Axim are important fish-breeding grounds. Sadly, the Ankobra has become a poster child for the damage of illegal mining. Galamsey — particularly in the Prestea-Huni Valley, Tarkwa-Nsuaem and Bogoso corridors — has silted the river heavily, turned its water turbid and brown, and contaminated it with mercury and other mining chemicals. This has hurt fishing communities and drinking-water supplies, and it is one of the rivers most often cited in national debates about protecting Ghana's water bodies. The Pra, Offin, Birim and Ankobra are the four rivers most frequently named in that fight. A fitting Akan thought: *"Sɛ wo hwɛ wo nsutene a, hwɛ ne fibea"* — when you look at your river, look at its source. The Ankobra's health depends on what happens upstream in the mining towns, not just at its mouth in Axim.