Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has disclosed that Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2501 will soon be presented to Parliament to annul the contentious L.I. 2462, which has faced widespread criticism for permitting mining operations in forest reserves.
Speaking at President John Mahama’s meeting with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on the galamsey crisis on Friday, October 3, Dr. Ayine emphasized that reforming the legal and regulatory framework is central to government’s strategy to combat illegal mining.
“In terms of the legal steps, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources has underscored the fact that legal and regulatory reform is at the heart of what we are doing in order to change the narrative about illegal mining,” he said.
The Attorney General explained that under the current Minerals and Mining Act, licences and leases can be issued across the entire country, including forest reserves, territorial waters, and exclusive economic zones. To correct this, he revealed that a new bill is being drafted with an explicit ban on mining in forest reserves.
“One of the things we can do is to identify all the forest reserves and put them in a schedule attached to the bill, and make it categorically clear that no licence for mining activity, or lease for the conduct of mining, can be granted in respect of all the forest reserves listed in the statute,” Dr. Ayine stated.
He added that such provisions would make it politically challenging to weaken environmental protections without parliamentary approval, thereby reinforcing safeguards for natural resources.
Dr. Ayine further disclosed that the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, working in partnership with his office, has finalized L.I. 2501, which will be laid before Parliament on October 14 when the House reconvenes.
“The Minister and I have agreed that on the 14th of October, when Parliament resumes, we will lay that instrument to revoke the famous L.I. 2462. So, immediately it is laid, within 21 days it matures, and from that time onwards, we will not have L.I. 2462,”
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