A Rocha Ghana warns of devastating impact of L.I. 2462 amendment

Daryl Bosu, Deputy National Director of A Rocha Ghana, criticized the government’s proposed amendment to Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462. He warned it could destroy the country’s forests.

Bosu spoke on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on March 31. He highlighted the risks of the amendment and stressed the need to protect all forest reserves.

The original L.I. 2462 was passed in 2022 without proper consultation. Key stakeholders, including industry players and environmental groups, were not involved. The law allowed mining in protected and production forest reserves, removing previous restrictions.

“This new law took away all protections for forest reserves,” he said. It also prioritized mining permits over environmental and water resource permits.

If a mining concession is granted by the minister, it becomes hard for regulatory bodies to deny it. This includes agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the Forestry Commission.

Bosu noted that environmental groups had urged both past and present governments to revoke L.I. 2462. Before the 2024 elections, the government promised to repeal it due to environmental risks and lack of transparency.

However, recent developments indicate that instead of repealing L.I. 2462, the government plans only to amend it. This would limit protection to just 10% of Ghana’s forest reserves.

He warned this amendment would leave about 250 forest reserves vulnerable to mining activities. “We need to protect not only the 10% but all forest reserves,” he stated.

“If we don’t revoke this law, we harm future generations,” he added. Forest reserves provide essential services for everyone. Allowing mining will have devastating consequences for these lands.

Bosu expressed concern about how previous administrations allocated mining concessions without proper oversight. “We cannot allow that abuse of power to continue,” he said.