President Mahama has made it clear: anyone caught will face the law.
In a bold statement on Citi TV’s Point of View, the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, revealed that Legislative Instrument 2462 (L.I 2462), the law allowing the President to grant mining leases in forest reserves, will be revoked immediately upon Parliament’s resumption.
According to Gyamfi, the L.I, which has been widely criticized for enabling environmental degradation under the guise of governance, will be “revoked in its entirety” by the incoming NDC government led by former President John Dramani Mahama. “Before I came here, I spoke to the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, and he assured me that the revocation is ready,” Gyamfi said.
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Revocation of L.I 2462: A Necessary Move
The controversial L.I 2462 granted sweeping powers to the President to approve mining in Ghana’s protected forest zones, raising red flags among environmentalists and civil society actors. Gyamfi labeled the legislation as “poisonous” and maintained that any legal vacuum created by its revocation will be quickly addressed by a new legal framework.
“We are a listening government,” he asserted, citing internal deliberations that led to the party’s decision to completely abolish the regulation instead of amending it.
Progress in the Galamsey Fight
Gyamfi also highlighted significant strides made in the fight against illegal mining, known as galamsey, under the current NDC-led transition. He detailed the successful reclamation of seven out of nine devastated forest reserves and provided statistics to back the operations:
- 160+ illegal miners arrested
- 125 excavators seized
- 10 bulldozers, 7 pickups, and 50 motorbikes confiscated
He contrasted this with the previous government’s alleged negligence, citing instances where party officials, including mayors and parliamentary candidates, were complicit in illegal mining operations. “You’ve not heard that our government appointees are involved in illegal mining,” Gyamfi stated. “President Mahama has made it clear: anyone caught will face the law.”
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On River Bodies and Environmental Recovery
Gyamfi acknowledged the slow recovery of polluted river bodies, noting that while illegal mining in forests has been curtailed, it takes time to restore water systems contaminated over the last eight years. “We are making progress. It’s a process, not an event,” he said.
Responding to concerns about the visible deterioration of rivers like the Pra, Gyamfi insisted that the fight against illegal mining is genuine and should be given time to produce tangible outcomes.
On State of Emergency and Policy Direction
Interestingly, Gyamfi distanced himself and the NDC as a party from previous calls for a state of emergency in mining areas, despite some NDC figures supporting the idea in the past. “The circumstances have changed. We are now seeing real efforts and results,” he emphasized.
While he admitted not being convinced by the Interior Ministry’s approach of deporting foreign illegal miners without prosecution, he promised that under the NDC, local or foreign suspects would face full legal proceedings. “We are not here to protect anyone. We will follow the money, the directors, and the shareholders behind these operations,” he pledged.
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The Road Ahead
Gyamfi concluded by teasing a major upcoming arrest of a known “kingpin” in the illegal mining business, a move he believes will demonstrate the government’s seriousness in tackling galamsey at its roots.
As Parliament prepares to reconvene, the revocation of L.I 2462 will undoubtedly become a defining legislative action in Ghana’s environmental and governance landscape.
