Minority Chief Whip and Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has called on Ghana to introduce laws that criminalise large-scale environmental destruction, known as ecocide.
Speaking in Parliament on Monday, he said the country must take urgent legislative action to address the mass destruction of ecosystems.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh explained that ecocide refers to unlawful acts that cause severe, widespread or long-term damage to the environment. The definition was developed by an expert panel convened by Stop Ecocide International.
He noted that while the International Criminal Court recognises crimes such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, ecocide is not yet recognised as a standalone international crime during peacetime.
According to him, this gap allows corporations, state actors and individuals to cause serious environmental damage with limited criminal liability.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh cited the environmental crisis in the Niger Delta, where thousands of oil spills have severely damaged land and water resources.
He noted that several countries have already taken steps to criminalise ecocide, adding that Belgium became the first European Union country to include ecocide in its penal code in 2023.
The lawmaker warned that Ghana faces its own environmental challenges, including deforestation, water pollution and illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
He said reports suggest that about 60 percent of the country’s water bodies have been polluted due to illegal mining activities.
According to him, criminalising ecocide would help protect the environment, strengthen environmental governance and safeguard the well-being of future generations.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh urged Parliament to pass a domestic ecocide law, strengthen enforcement powers for environmental institutions and impose tougher penalties on offenders.
He also welcomed proposals from the Constitutional Review Committee to introduce ecocide as a national crime and called for swift action to enact the legislation.
