Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has announced that Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2501 will soon be laid before Parliament to revoke the controversial L.I. 2462, which has been widely criticised for enabling mining activities in forest reserves.
Speaking during President John Mahama’s engagement with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on the galamsey crisis on Friday, October 3, Dr. Ayine stressed that legal and regulatory reforms are central to the government’s efforts to curb illegal mining.
“In terms of the legal steps, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources has underscored the fact that legal and regulatory reform is at the heart of what we are doing in order to change the narrative about illegal mining,” he said.
The Attorney General explained that the current Minerals and Mining Act permits licences and leases across the entire territory of Ghana, including forest reserves, territorial waters, and exclusive economic zones.
To address this, he revealed that a bill is being prepared with a clear prohibition on mining in forest reserves.
“One of the things we can do is to identify all the forest reserves and put them in a schedule attached to the bill, and make it categorically clear that no licence for mining activity, or lease for the conduct of mining, can be granted in respect of all the forest reserves listed in the statute,” Dr. Ayine stated.
He added that such provisions would make it politically difficult to alter protections without parliamentary approval, thereby strengthening safeguards for the environment.
Dr. Ayine disclosed that the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, in collaboration with his office, has completed work on L.I. 2501, which will be presented to Parliament on October 14, when the House resumes.
“The Minister and I have agreed that on the 14th of October, when Parliament resumes, we will lay that instrument to revoke the famous L.I. 2462.
“So, immediately it is laid, within 21 days it matures, and from that time onwards, we will not have L.I. 2462,” he stressed.
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