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President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to alter the Minerals and Mining Act, 2003 (Act 703) to permanently ban mining operations in Ghana’s forest reserves, reaffirming his promise to do away with them.
In his remarks about the first 120 days of his government, President Mahama laid out a thorough plan to clean up the mining industry, which included land reclamation initiatives, enforcement actions, and legal reforms.
“The first 120 days, we’ve taken decisive action through a five-point strategy to overhaul and sanitise the mining sector. This includes regulatory reforms and strengthening law enforcement, including joint task forces, arrest and seizures of mining equipment, stakeholder collaboration, and reclamation of degraded lands.
“Seven out of nine reserves have been reclaimed, illegal miners have been flushed out of these forest reserves,” Mahama said.
L.I. 2462, a legislative instrument to alter the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, was introduced to Parliament on March 20, 2025, he added, as part of this initiative. The president’s discretionary authority to authorize mining in forest reserves is eliminated by the amendment.
“Concerning the ban on mining in forest reserves, 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.
Mahama also promised to address the Minerals and Mining Act directly, going beyond regulatory changes.
“I also plan to amend the Minerals and Mining Act, 2003 (Act 703) to completely prohibit mining in forest reserves. This would effectively, meticulously, legally, and entirely ban mining in our forest reserves,” he said.
he action is a component of a larger initiative to save Ghana’s natural environment and stop the damaging effects of illicit mining, which has led to significant pollution and deforestation in several regions of the nation.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
