A Rocha Ghana: Amendment of L.I. 2462 betrays political promise

Daryl Bosu, Deputy National Director of Operations at A Rocha Ghana, criticized the government’s decision. He spoke about amending Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462 instead of repealing it. He called this a “total departure” from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) campaign promises.

During the JoyNews National Dialogue on Thursday, Mr. Bosu expressed his disappointment. He accused the NDC of breaking its commitment to repeal the law regulating mining in forest reserves.

“The amendment coming from the government is shocking,” he said. He recalled how the NDC had previously supported environmental activists during their 2024 election campaign.

“When we campaigned, they were with us,” he noted. They rallied for a complete repeal of L.I. 2462.

L.I. 2462 has faced criticism from environmental groups. They argue that it allows mining in protected forest areas under questionable terms. The government plans to amend Regulation 3(2) to address these concerns, but Mr. Bosu believes this is insufficient.

He stated that partial amendments do not meet campaign expectations. “Not everything about the L.I. is bad,” he clarified, “but just amending one section does not fulfill political promises.”

He also raised concerns about internal political dynamics influencing this decision. “We suspect someone may be worried about their past role in passing the L.I.”

Despite government assurances, Mr. Bosu insisted that simply tweaking legislation does not solve core environmental issues or accountability problems.