Lands Minister (acting Environment Minister) Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has presented a new legislative instrument to Parliament seeking to revoke L.I. 2462.
The regulation, which previously empowered the President to grant mining leases within forest reserves, is set to be repealed as part of the government’s efforts to strengthen environmental protection and curb deforestation caused by mining activities.
L.I. 2462, passed in 2022, had given the President discretionary authority to approve mining in forest reserves—a provision that drew widespread criticism from environmentalists, civil society groups, and members of the public who warned it could lead to large-scale environmental degradation.
Government officials say revoking the law aims to restore stricter safeguards around Ghana’s forest ecosystems and reaffirm the state’s commitment to sustainable resource management.
Once approved by Parliament, the instrument will permanently remove the presidency’s unilateral powers to issue mining permits in protected forest areas.