Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has disclosed that a new Legislative Instrument (L.I. 2501) will soon be laid before Parliament to revoke the contentious L.I. 2462, which has long been criticised for permitting mining activities in protected forest reserves.
The announcement was made on Friday, October 3, during President John Mahama’s engagement with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on the escalating illegal mining (galamsey) crisis.
Dr. Ayine explained that the government is prioritising legal and regulatory reforms as part of its strategy to clamp down on illegal mining.
“In terms of legal steps, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources has made it clear that legal and regulatory reform is central to the strategy for addressing illegal mining,” he said.
He noted that under the current Minerals and Mining Act, mining licences and leases could be granted anywhere in Ghana including forest reserves, territorial waters, and exclusive economic zones, leaving critical ecosystems vulnerable.
To close this gap, Dr. Ayine revealed that a new bill is being drafted to explicitly prohibit mining in forest reserves.
“One of our approaches is to list all forest reserves in a schedule attached to the bill and clearly state that no mining licences or leases can be issued for any of these areas,” he explained, stressing that such provisions would make it more difficult for future governments to roll back protections without parliamentary approval.
The Attorney General further confirmed that the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, in collaboration with his office, has finalized work on L.I. 2501. The new regulation will be tabled before Parliament on October 14, when the House resumes sitting.
“The Minister and I have agreed that L.I. 2501 will be laid on October 14 to revoke the infamous L.I. 2462. Once laid, it will mature in 21 days, and from that point forward, L.I. 2462 will no longer be in effect,” he assured.
The move is expected to be a significant step toward safeguarding Ghana’s forest reserves, which have come under mounting pressure from both legal and illegal mining operations.
