The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi
The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, has announced the government’s intention to revoke the Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462 immediately Parliament resumes from its recess.
He emphasised the current administration’s commitment to protecting Ghana’s forests from harmful mining practices, labeling the controversial legislation as “poisonous.”
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on April 23, 2025, Sammy Gyamfi said, “LI 2462 will be revoked by the NDC/Mahama government immediately Parliament resumes.”
Sammy Gyamfi further pointed out that there have been various legal perspectives surrounding the issue, adding that some individuals argued for an amendment to the legislation to remove only the discretion power of the president, while others insisted on a full repeal.
“There were legal issues as to whether or not it should be amended or revoked because there is a school of thought that revoking it could lead to a certain vacuum and that what had to be cured was the discretion or power given to the president to grant mining leases for people to mine in protected forest zones.
“Then there was another school of thought that said, look, let’s revoke the entire law, even if we get a vacuum, we can come up with a new LI… but the LI 2462 is poisonous. It should go in its entirety. Those who made that argument have won; we are a listening government,” he stated.
LI 2462, enacted in November 2022, allows mining in forest reserves under the condition of “national interest,” sparking outrage among environmentalists, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and the public.
Critics argued that the law undermined previous protections, such as the 2018 Environmental Guidelines, which barred mining in Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBAs), like the Atewa Range and Tano Offin Forest Reserves.
Within a year of its passage, 22% of Ghana’s forest areas were reportedly allocated for mining leases, intensifying deforestation, water pollution, and biodiversity loss.
The push to repeal LI 2462 gained momentum amid widespread protests and pressure from groups like the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey, the Ghana Institute of Foresters, and Organised Labour, which threatened a nationwide strike in September 2024.
RAD/AE
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