Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, Convener of the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey, has expressed his surprise and disappointment at President John Mahama’s decision to amend, rather than repeal, Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462, which governs mining in forest reserves.
This follows discussions on amending LI 2462, which currently allows mining in forest reserves if deemed to be in the national interest. Ashigbey argues that amending the law is insufficient and contradicts Mahama’s earlier pledge to repeal it entirely.
Speaking on Channel One TV, Ashigbey pointed to Mahama’s swift repeal of the e-levy within 82 days of taking office, demonstrating his ability to fulfill such promises. “This is a president who gave a promise to repeal the e-levy law… and was able to convert that manifesto promise into the budget statement, convert it into a bill and sign and gazette it in record time,” he said.
Ashigbey criticized the proposed amendment to LI 2462 as superficial, noting that it only removes the president’s power to grant mining permits in globally significant biodiversity areas. He argued this would protect only 10% of Ghana’s forests, leaving other detrimental aspects of the law unchanged.
“If the president went ahead with his promise… he would have been targeting to save about 60% of the forest,” Ashigbey stated. He urged Mahama to honor his commitment to a full repeal, emphasizing the necessity for robust measures to safeguard Ghana’s forests and biodiversity from mining’s destructive impact.
