The Acting Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has officially written to the Office of the Attorney General for the immediate revocation of Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462 and its amended version, L.I. 2501.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Ministry on August 29, 2025 and signed by Ama Mawusi Mawuenyefia.
The statement noted that this legal action is designed to unify and strengthen the regulatory framework, creating a cohesive front for all stakeholders in the national fight against illegal mining, known as ‘galamsey.’
The move aims to end the severe environmental devastation that has polluted Ghana’s water bodies and degraded its forest reserves.
The Minister expressed confidence that the existing regulatory regime, under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), provides robust and sufficient guidelines to oversee all mining activities.
This consolidated framework will ensure strict compliance with environmental and social standards, guaranteeing responsible mining practices across the sector.
The move directly complements on-the-ground efforts such as the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) and the operational coordination of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS).
L.I. 2462 was enacted to regulate the environmental aspects of mining in forest reserves, deriving its authority from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Act.
It established a system for granting mining licenses and environmental permits within forest reserves, with specific conditions to mitigate damage.
The regulations prohibited mining in certain sensitive ecological and cultural sites, including “Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas” (GSBAs), but granted the President the authority to approve mining in these restricted areas if deemed to be in the “national interest.”
The Legislative Instrument was met with immediate and widespread backlash from civil society organizations, environmental activists, and concerned citizens who say the L.I. has allowed for more environmental destruction and lacked the ability to protect the forest reserves.
In October 2024, the then Attorney-General initiated the process to revoke L.I. 2462 by laying a new legislative instrument before Parliament.
This new instrument, the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) (Revocation) Instrument, 2024 which intended to make all mining in forest reserves illegal.
