I’ll amend mining act to permanently ban forest mining – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his commitment to ending mining in Ghana’s forest reserves. He announced plans to amend the Minerals and Mining Act, 2003 (Act 703) to permanently ban such activities.

During a report on his administration's first 120 days, President Mahama outlined a strategy for the mining sector. This includes legal reforms, enforcement actions, and land reclamation efforts.

He stated, “In the first 120 days, we’ve taken decisive action through a five-point strategy.” This strategy focuses on regulatory reforms and strengthening law enforcement. It involves joint task forces, arrests, seizures of mining equipment, stakeholder collaboration, and reclaiming degraded lands.

“Seven out of nine reserves have been reclaimed,” Mahama noted. He added that illegal miners have been removed from these forest reserves.

As part of this initiative, he presented legislative instrument L.I. 2462 to Parliament on March 20, 2025. This amendment targets the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations. It removes the president’s power to permit mining in these areas.

Mahama also plans to amend the Minerals and Mining Act itself. “I aim to completely prohibit mining in forest reserves,” he stated. This would legally ban all mining activities in these protected areas.

This move is part of a broader effort to protect Ghana’s environment. Illegal mining has caused severe deforestation and pollution across several regions of the country.