President John Dramani Mahama has assured Ghanaians to outlaw mining in forest reserves by making an ammendment tothe Minerals and Mining Act, 2003 (Act 703),
He made this statement in his speech on the progress of his first 120 days in office, where he assured his dedication to ending mining activities in forest reserves following public distaste over the government’s intent to amend L.I 2462 rather than repeal it.
He announced that an amendment will be made to the Minerals and Mining Act, 2003 (Act 703), to permanently ban mining in forest reserves.
According to President Mahama, a comprehensive approach, comprising legal reforms, enforcement actions, and land reclamation efforts is essential for reforming the mining sector.
“In the first 120 days, we’ve taken decisive action through a five-point strategy to reform and sanitize the mining sector. This includes regulatory reforms, strengthened law enforcement through joint task forces, arrests and seizures of mining equipment, stakeholder collaboration, and reclamation of degraded lands,” he stated.
He added, “Seven out of nine reserves have been reclaimed, and illegal miners have been removed from these forest reserves.”
President Mahama further noted that a legislative instrument—L.I. 2462—was submitted to Parliament on March 20, 2025, to initiate amendments to the Environmental Protection regulations.
“On March 20, 2025, a legislative instrument, L.I. 2462, was presented to Parliament to amend the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulation. This amendment removes the President’s power to approve mining in forest reserves.”he clarified
The President emphasized that his efforts go beyond legal amendments, aiming to “effectively, meticulously, legally, and entirely ban mining in our forest reserves.”
This initiative reflects the government’s efforts to protecting Ghana’s natural environment and putting an end to the illegal mining activities that degrade it.
Story by: Salomey Barnor