Story By: Juliet Akosua Danquah
A Rocha Ghana has applauded the government’s decision to revoke a controversial mining regulation, calling it a major victory for forest protection.
The move nullifies the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Revocation Instrument, 2025, which was presented to Parliament on October 31.
This new instrument cancels L.I. 2501 and fully scraps its predecessor, L.I. 2462—a rule heavily condemned for permitting destructive mining in forest reserves and granting extensive powers to the President and Minister to approve such activities.
The revocation is a key part of the government’s wider battle against illegal mining, complementing programs like the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Scheme (rCOMSDEP) and the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS).
Commenting on the development, the Deputy National Director of A Rocha Ghana, Daryl Bosu, praised the government’s action.
He stated, “First of all I must acknowledge that this step taken by the government and led by the acting minister of environment is very commendable and progressive, and we are very happy that they have finally taken a step and created the posture that government is no longer going to take mining in our forest reserves because it is a good thing to do.”
The decision is seen as a critical step toward reinforcing forest safeguards and strengthening the national crusade against galamsey.
