Galamsey Fight: Government withdraws controversial L.I 2462

Parliament has been presented with a revocation instrument by the government on the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) (Revocation) Instrument. L. I. 2462, which set rules for mining in areas of preservation.

When Organized Labour announced that it was going to go on strike over the detrimental effects of galamsey, this was one of their requests, which the government complied with.

Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney General, delivered the revocation instrument to the Clerk of Parliament to be placed in line with the 1992 Constitution in a letter dated Thursday, October 10, 2024.

Article 11(7) of the Constitution states that the Instrument takes force after 21 days of Parliamentary sittings, unless it is revoked by the votes of two thirds of the members.

In a letter dated October 9, 2024, and written to the leadership of Organized Labour, the President detailed the different steps being taken to address their concerns on galamsey, following a meeting between the government and Organized Labour on Tuesday, October 8, 2024.

The government said that mining will be suspended in forest reserves as part of the measures. The Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2023 (L.I. 2462), will no longer be enforced, effective immediately, according to a presidential communique that was sent to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation.

Read the letter below:

The government’s decision to proceed with the revocation of the Legislative Instrument is a major step toward addressing the widespread environmental deterioration associated with galamsey.

Ecosystems have been destroyed, water bodies have been contaminated, and natural resources have sustained long-term harm as a result of mining in forest reserves.

On Thursday, October 10, the AG’s direction to the EPA was formally transmitted, reaffirming the government’s commitment to placing environmental preservation first despite growing public pressure.

The L.I. is believed to have been revoked in reaction to the public’s uproar over galamsey practices as well as the concerns expressed by labor organizations.

The Parliament will have the last word in abolishing the law, therefore outlawing any mining operations in forest reserves and harmonizing with the government’s more general environmental preservation objectives, after the EPA presents the Instrument to the legislature.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com