Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah is the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has formally requested the Office of the Attorney General to revoke Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462 and its amendment, L.I. 2501, as part of sweeping measures to combat illegal mining.
The move, described by government insiders as one of the boldest legislative interventions in recent years, signals a renewed urgency to halt the environmental destruction caused by galamsey, which has left water bodies polluted and forest reserves scarred.
In a statement released on August 29, the Director of Communications for the Lands Ministry, Ama Mawusi Mawuenyefia, said the revocation of the two instruments would not leave a regulatory vacuum, assuring that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) existing framework provides a comprehensive system for monitoring and regulating mining activities.
The Attorney General has already given its “no objection” to the request, clearing the way for immediate revocation.
According to the Ministry, the decision is designed to consolidate Ghana’s mining regulations into a more unified, efficient system, enabling authorities to clamp down harder on offenders while promoting responsible mining practices.
Officials insist that this legal reset dovetails with broader initiatives such as the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) and the operational coordination of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS). Together, these interventions form a holistic strategy aimed at restoring degraded ecosystems.
“The ultimate goal,” the Ministry stressed, “is to make our waters blue again and our forests green once more.”
By eliminating overlapping and outdated laws, the government hopes to remove loopholes that galamsey operators exploit, while strengthening enforcement and accountability across the sector.
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