Revoke President's Authority To Allocate Mining Rights In Ghana's Forest Reserves - MCAG and OccupyGhana
The Media Coalition Against Galamsey and OccupyGhana have come together to advocate for a crucial legislative change aimed at safeguarding Ghana's forest reserves and significant biodiversity areas. They are calling for the enactment of a law that explicitly prohibits the issuance of mining or drilling permits, licenses, leases, or any associated activities within these critical ecological zones.
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In a joint statement issued on Friday, the two influential bodies made a firm demand for Parliament to annul the “Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations (LI 2462),” which currently grants the President the authority to provide written approval for mining activities within globally significant biodiversity areas in the national interest. This bold move seeks to address the root cause that emboldened an application by High Street Company to mine in the Kakum Forest in Ghana's Central region.
The heart of their proposal lies in creating a legislative mandate that unequivocally states 'WE DO NOT MINE OR DRILL IN OUR FOREST RESERVES.' This calls for immediate action by Parliament to pass an Act that bars the issuance of any mining or drilling permits, licenses, leases, or any related activities within forest reserves and significant biodiversity areas. This legislative step is deemed essential to protect these vital ecological spaces from the adverse effects of mining and drilling activities.
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Additionally, to prevent the circumvention of the proposed law and ensure genuine preservation, the statement recommends a structured approach for any decision regarding the cessation of forest reserves. This includes obtaining advice from the Forestry Commission and Lands Commission, as well as the approval of Parliament subsequent to public hearings and engagement with local chiefs and citizens of the concerned area. This would entail amending the Forest Act, 1927 (Cap 157) to remove the President's ability to unilaterally revoke forest reserve status through an Executive Instrument.
In a related demand, the two organizations also call for the explicit revocation of the problematic Forests (Cessation of Forest Reserve) Instrument (EI 144 of 2022), which purported to revoke the forest reserve status of the Achimota Forest. They emphasize the need for transparent and consultative processes in determining the fate of such crucial ecological areas.
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