The Lands and Natural Resource Minister-Designate, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah has reiterated his resolve to prevent mining activities in forest reserves if approved for the role.
The Minister-designate appeared before the parliament’s vetting committee on Monday January 27, 2025 to answer questions on the sector.
Emmanuel has assured the committee of his commitment to help resolve Ghana’s issue of mining in forest reserves, which has so far caused the destruction of a significant portion of the sector.
According to him, as part of efforts under the new administration, there is an intention to amend the Legislative Instrument, L.I 2462 to help resolve the gory situations in forest reserves.
“We have said that there will be no new mining activities in forest reserves, and the intention is to make sure that L.I. 2462 is amended to ensure that the provision allowing for mining in reserves is not in place.”
“If you give me the chance, my first activity will be to ensure that there will be no new mining activities in forest reserves,” he added.
Since the introduction of the L.I 2462, a legal framework that officially permits mining in forest reserves, there have been reports about encroachment of lands in these areas where, especially people in power reportedly engage in irresponsible mining, leading to acres of lands being degraded.
The legal framework was introduced in November 2022. Following its official introduction, experts and agencies have expressed shock at how the dangers of such an initiative have been overlooked.
In a statement in response to the development, the Ghana Institute of Foresters expressed their dismay and objection to the framework, calling it “outrageous.”
“The Ghana Institute of Foresters (GIF) writes with a sense of dismay and disbelief upon learning of the passage of the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, L.I. 2462 and its aftermath. As experts and advocates for sustainable natural resource management, it is with deep urgency and concern that the GIF expresses the strong objection of Ghana’s foresters to this outrageous Legislative Instrument that permits unlimited mining in our forest reserves,” a statement dated November 28, 2023 said.
“The existence of our forests is condition-precedent for the sustainability of our cocoa industry. They are the lungs of the earth, playing a significant role in mitigating the impacts of climate change. By allowing mining in these fragile habitats, the
Government is directly contributing to the acceleration of environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. While the Government’s flagship Greening Ghana initiative is commendable,allowing mining in forest reserves risks eroding the gains from the initiative. Our forest reserves are our only guarantee of forest sustainability,” it added.
Several experts and agencies have made consistent calls upon the government to remove the legislative instrument in order to practically protect the forest reserves. However, there have been no response to that effect.
Meanwhile, many Ghanaians are expecting President Mahama to address illegal mining issues bedeviling the country. On various social media platforms, people are already warning of another protest if the president fails to heed the calls.
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