President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated his firm commitment to ending all mining operations within Ghana’s forest reserves, announcing plans to amend the Minerals and Mining Act, 2003 (Act 703) to impose a permanent legal ban.
During an address detailing the progress of his administration’s first 120 days in office, President Mahama outlined a multi-faceted strategy aimed at reforming and sanitizing the mining sector. This strategy includes legislative reforms, robust enforcement measures, and extensive land reclamation initiatives.
“In our first 120 days, we have taken decisive action through a five-point strategy to overhaul and sanitize the mining sector. This includes regulatory reforms and strengthening law enforcement, involving joint task forces, arrests and seizures of mining equipment, stakeholder collaboration, and the reclamation of degraded lands,” President Mahama stated. “Seven out of nine reserves have been reclaimed, and illegal miners have been evicted from these forest reserves.”
He further detailed the legislative steps already taken, noting that Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462 was presented to Parliament on March 20, 2025. This amendment to the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations aims to eliminate the president’s discretionary power to grant mining permits in forest reserves.
“Regarding the ban on mining in forest reserves, on March 20, 2025, Legislative Instrument L.I. 2462 was presented to Parliament to amend the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulation. This amendment removes the president’s power to approve mining in forest reserves,” he explained.
President Mahama also pledged to go beyond these regulatory adjustments by directly amending the Minerals and Mining Act itself.
“I also plan to amend the Minerals and Mining Act, 2003 (Act 703) to completely prohibit mining in forest reserves. This would effectively, meticulously, legally, and entirely ban mining in our forest reserves,” he affirmed.
This initiative is part of a broader government effort to safeguard Ghana’s natural environment and address the severe consequences of illegal mining, which has led to widespread deforestation and environmental pollution across the country. The proposed legal amendments are intended to provide a long-term solution to protect Ghana’s vital forest reserves from destructive mining activities.
