Petition to revoke L.I 2462: Galamsey activists secure 7,700 signatures

The demand for the government to revoke the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2023 (L.I. 2462) continues to grow as environmental activists rally more citizens for action. 

Spearheaded by the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey, the activists had gathered more than 700 signatures as of April 10, 2025, in their bid to petition President John Mahama to repeal the law rather than amend it.

Although key government functionaries, including the ministers of Land and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, and Environment, Science and Technology (MEST), Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed have given assurance that an amendment of the L. I would serve a good purpose, the activists insisted on their demand for a revocation of the law.

The convener of the coalition, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, said while amending portions of L.I 2462 would save globally significant biodiversity areas (GSBAs) from further destruction through mining activities, repealing the entire law would save more forest reserves.

Dr Ashigbey further said with galamsey reaching a crescendo, and forest reserves being under siege by illegal miners, repealing the entire L.I 2462 would serve as one of the ruthless actions by the government to save the country's land and water resources. 

What’s in the law?

In November 2022, the government introduced the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2022 (L.I 2462) to provide statutory procedures for mining in forest reserves and remedial actions for mitigating the impacts of such actions.

Dr Ken Ashigbey — Convener of the Coalition

L.I 2462 allows a person issued with a licence to mine in forest reserves if the licence holder adheres to certain stringent measures such as preserving the water bodies in the forest, and also taking steps not to deplete the vegetation of the forest reserves.

It stipulates various punishments for persons who contravene the provisions of the law, with the punishment ranging from a fine of not more than GH¢3,000 and a term of imprisonment not more than one year.

Although L.I 2462 allows mining in forest reserves, albeit with strict conditions, Regulation 3 (1) of the law prohibits mining in areas designated as globally significant biodiversity areas, protected provenance areas, an institutional research plot, a hill sanctuary, high conservation value areas, a seed orchard, swamp sanctuary, plantation sites and cultural sites.

However, despite these prohibitions, Regulation 3(2) of L.I 2462 gives the President the power to allow mining activities in a globally significant biodiversity area in the national interest.

Relevance

Dr Ashigbey said amending the L.I would only save 30 GBSAs, representing 10 per cent of the forest while revoking it would lead to saving 60 per cent of the country’s forest reserves.

He stressed that galamsey was both an ecocide and genocide that needed to be dealt with drastically, therefore, the continuous existence of L.I 2462 was unacceptable.

Touching further on what made L.I 2462 is a bad law for forest management, he said any good legislation ought to be anchored on a patent law, but the current L.I followed the EPA Act which had nothing to do with mining.

"The former President wanted to pave the way for the mining of bauxite in the Atewa Forest Reserve, and that is why the EPA was used to formulate this legislation (L.I 2462); we should not allow it to exist if we want to protect our forests,” Dr Ashigbey added.

He added that the provision in L.I 2462 requiring applicants to first obtain a mining license from the Minerals Commission before seeking a permit from the Forestry Commission to operate in forest reserves was not a progressive arrangement.

Drop it!

For his part, the Deputy Director of A Rocha Ghana, Daryl Bosu, said the current move to amend L.I 2462 to take away the power of the President in terms of allowing mining in forest reserves “in the national interest” meant only 30 GSBAs would be protected, leaving out more than 250 other forest reserves.

Mr Bosu also said L.I 2462 had prioritised mining over all other equally important forest resources such as rivers, which take their source from forests.

Again, he said the L.I was retrogressive as it breached some key policies including the land policy and the forest development masterplan. 

He said it was important to revoke the current L.I and introduce comprehensive legislation that aligns with the Forest Development masterplan to protect future generations.