CSOs applaud gov’t for revocation of L.I. 2462, urge fresh push against galamsey

Civil society organisations (CSOs) have welcomed the revocation of Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, describing it as a major victory for forest protection and environmental governance in Ghana.

In a joint statement issued in Accra on Thursday, 18 December 2025, the groups expressed gratitude to the Government of Ghana and Parliament for annulling the regulation, which they said exposed forest reserves, including Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas, to heightened mining risks.

“We express our profound gratitude to the Government of Ghana and Parliament for the successful revocation of L.I. 2462, a regulation that exposed Ghana’s forest reserves to unfettered risks from mining,” the statement said.

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The groups credited the Acting Minister for Environment, Science and Technology and Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, for initiating the process.

The statement noted that the Minister laid a new Legislative Instrument before Parliament on 31 October to annul L.I. 2462, which took effect after the mandatory twenty-one (21) sitting days elapsed without objections.

“With Parliament having completed the constitutionally required 21 sitting days without any interventions, we are excited that L.I. 2462 has effectively been revoked,” the statement noted.

The organisations also acknowledged the role of the media and public advocacy in achieving the repeal, praising citizens who supported petitions against the regulation.

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Describing the repeal as one of the most significant environmental policy reversals in recent years, the groups said the decision signals Ghana’s commitment to sustainable forest management.

They argued that since its introduction in 2022, L.I. 2462 undermined sustainable forest management and conflicted with Ghana’s Forest Development Master Plan (2016–2036), which aims to phase out mining in forest reserves by 2036.

The regulation also weakened Ghana’s alignment with international environmental commitments, including the Paris Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

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The statement noted that before 2022, only two per cent (2%) of gazetted production forest areas were opened to limited large-scale mining, with ninety-eight per cent (98%) protected. Under L.I. 2462, eighty-nine per cent (89%) of forest reserves became exposed to mining, placing more than fifty out of 288 reserves under severe pressure. Even after amendments in 2025, about eighty per cent (80%) of forests remained at risk.

“Ghana’s forests protect critical sources of clean water, biodiversity, climate regulation and livelihoods,” the groups stressed.

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They urged the government to strengthen enforcement against illegal activities, implement the Tree for Life programme effectively, and develop a National Forest Protection Strategy.