Media Coalition backs decision to revoke Mining law in forest reserves

The Media Coalition Against illegal Mining has welcomed the decision by the Minister of Environment to initiate the revocation of Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, which permitted mining in forest reserves.

On August 29, 2025, Acting Minister for Environment, Science, and Technology, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, wrote to the Office of the Attorney General requesting the immediate repeal of L.I. 2462 and its amended version, L.I. 2501.

The Coalition described the move as a crucial step in strengthening Ghana’s legal framework against illegal mining, which has caused extensive damage to water bodies and forest reserves.

“This is what we want to see, not the situation we had under the obnoxious law that opened even our protected forest reserves for mining. This is a positive step, and we hope the Attorney General will move quickly to make this revocation a reality,” said the Coalition’s Convenor, Ken Ashigbey.

However, Mr. Ashigbey expressed concern over the Inspector-General of Police’s decision to dissolve the special task force that had been enforcing environmental laws in mining areas.

He argued that the police should collaborate with the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), stressing that many Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) have proven ineffective in tackling the menace.

“MMDCEs have proven they cannot be trusted. Even without the IGP’s task force from Accra, their incompetence is evident. That should not, however, be the reason to withdraw the police team. NAIMOS should instead be resourced with the logistics needed to carry out their mandate,” he said.

The Coalition hopes the minister’s initiative will lead to swift action from the Attorney General and strengthen the fight against illegal mining across the country.