A coalition of 17 environmental and civil society organizations declared Ghana’s revocation of Legislative Instrument 2462 one of the most significant environmental policy reversals in the country’s recent history, celebrating restoration of protections for forest reserves threatened by mining activities.
The groups, including the Coalition Against Galamsey Ghana, A Rocha Ghana, OXFAM, WACAM, the Christian Council of Ghana, the Ghana Institute of Foresters and the SDG Civil Society Platform Ghana, expressed profound gratitude to the government and Parliament for reversing a regulation they say dangerously exposed Ghana’s forest reserves and globally significant biodiversity areas to mining. The revocation became effective after Parliament completed the constitutionally mandated 21 sitting days without objection following presentation of the repeal instrument on October 31.
Acting Minister for Environment, Science and Technology and Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah laid the new Legislative Instrument before Parliament to annul LI 2462 and its amended version LI 2501. The Environmental Protection Mining in Forest Reserves Revocation Instrument 2025 was enacted into law on December 10, 2025, placing a total ban on mining in forest reserves.
This repeal gives forests and future generations a chance, the coalition declared in their joint statement. Civil society actors see the revocation as a landmark victory in the fight to restore integrity of Ghana’s fast depleting forest estate. Since its introduction in November 2022, LI 2462 had undermined decades of sustainable forest management, contradicted the Forest Development Master Plan 2016 to 2036, and weakened Ghana’s commitments under international environmental agreements.
The regulation dramatically altered Ghana’s forest protection framework. Prior to 2022, only 2 percent of gazetted production forest areas were open to mining, with 98 percent strictly protected. Under LI 2462, however, as much as 89 percent of forest reserves became exposed to mining activities, placing over 50 of Ghana’s 288 forest reserves under severe pressure. Even after amendments in 2025 creating LI 2501, 80 percent of forests remained at significant risk.
These changes opened the floodgates to unprecedented direct and indirect pressure on forest reserves, the coalition noted. The law granted the president authority to approve mining in forest reserves if deemed in the national interest, removing long standing safeguards established by the 2018 Environmental Guidelines that barred mining in Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas.
Within a year of LI 2462’s passage, 22 percent of Ghana’s forest areas were reportedly allocated for mining leases, according to environmental groups. The Minerals Commission received numerous applications to mine in protected areas, including attempts to access Kakum National Park, a world renowned tourism destination that drew outcry from civil society until the application was rejected.
The coalition paid special tribute to media, individual advocates, institutions and thousands of ordinary Ghanaians who signed petitions demanding repeal. Their collective efforts played a critical role in ensuring environmental concerns remained firmly on the national agenda, prompting organized labor to threaten nationwide strikes in September 2024 that pressured the previous administration to commit to repeal ahead of elections.
President John Dramani Mahama made revocation a campaign promise during the 2024 elections. As opposition leader and National Democratic Congress flagbearer, he pledged to bar mining in forest reserves, stressing that exploration of mineral resources must not come at the expense of vegetative cover. He stated at a public lecture in Kumasi that Ghana’s forest reserves, some with trees more than 700 years old, are more precious than any minerals beneath them.
Despite celebrating the repeal, organizations cautioned that Ghana’s forests remain under serious threat from illegal mining commonly known as galamsey, poaching and illegal logging. They cited comments by the Forestry Commission Chief Executive acknowledging that while conditions have improved compared to last year, challenges persist and require sustained national effort.
Safeguarding forests must go beyond paper victories, the statement stressed. Building on the repeal, the coalition outlined urgent recommendations including reviewing Act 703 to explicitly prohibit mining in forest reserves, urging Mahama to fulfill his promise. They called for development and implementation of a National Forest Protection Strategy with strong local and international collaboration.
The groups demanded renewed urgency addressing chronic forest encroachment from artisanal mining, illegal logging and poaching. They urged ensuring the Tree for Life programme delivers real forest restoration supported by mapping and rehabilitation of degraded mining areas. The coalition called for swift action on Forestry Commission recommendations issued December 15, 2025, including upgrading institutional capacity to confront emerging threats.
LI 2462 was enacted during the Akufo Addo administration in November 2022, the same month Ghana participated in the COP27 climate summit where the government launched the Forests and Climate Leaders Partnership. Critics viewed the simultaneous actions as contradictory, with Ghana presenting itself as a climate champion internationally while opening forest reserves to mining domestically.
The regulation faced immediate opposition from environmental groups, civil society organizations, labor unions and the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, who described it as undermining national climate commitments and forest protection policies. The law was passed without inclusive public engagement, activists argued, violating established legislative norms.
The former administration initially resisted repeal demands, meeting civil society advocacy with indifference until organized labor’s threat of economic disruption became impossible to ignore. The previous government drafted a repeal instrument as parliamentary sessions ended, ensuring no actual vote occurred before the December 2024 elections.
Legal experts raised questions about LI 2462’s constitutional validity, noting it lacked proper legislative backing and overstepped mandates of key state institutions including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Forestry Commission and the Minerals Commission. Some analysts argued the regulation contradicted Article 36 of the 1992 Constitution regarding environmental protection principles.
The revocation process involved extensive consultation with experts and stakeholders. Minister Buah explained the government decided to completely revoke both LI 2462 and its amended version LI 2501 after review, opting to use environmental guidelines enacted in 2020 instead of attempting further amendments.
The decision reflects the new administration’s response to sustained public pressure and commitment to environmental stewardship. The Mahama government, which took office in January 2025 after decisive electoral victory, positioned forest protection as a central policy priority aligned with campaign promises made to voters concerned about environmental degradation.
International organizations including ClientEarth and TaylorCrabbe Initiative provided technical support to Ghanaian civil society throughout the campaign. They produced legal briefs examining Ghana’s mining regulatory framework and supported public sensitization efforts including street marches and media engagement campaigns.
The revocation marks Ghana’s second recent environmental victory, following October 2025 arrival of the country’s first sustainable timber licensing scheme permits in the European Union after a 16 year collaborative process. Together, these developments signal potential strengthening of environmental governance and forest protection mechanisms.
However, significant challenges remain regarding existing mining leases issued under LI 2462, enforcement of new protections, and addressing illegal mining operations that continue damaging forest reserves. The government announced in March 2025 revocation of all small scale mining licenses issued after December 7, 2024, and plans to overhaul the Community Mining Scheme.
Minister for Environment, Science and Technology Ibrahim Murtala Muhammad described illegal mining as a moral battle to protect Ghanaian lives, comparing galamsey to terrorism and vowing no one involved including political actors and National Democratic Congress members would be spared punitive actions. This is a fight we must win for the future of our nation, he declared.
The coalition emphasized that while LI 2462’s repeal marks a pivotal turning point, concrete action must follow commitment. To secure Ghana’s natural heritage and a sustainable future, action must now follow commitment, the statement concluded. We remain committed to mobilizing, monitoring and holding leadership accountable so that every policy reflects Ghana’s urgent environmental, social and climate priorities.
Forest advocates view the revocation as validation of sustained civil society pressure and public mobilization capable of forcing environmental accountability from government. The victory demonstrates potential for coordinated advocacy to achieve policy change when activists combine constitutional litigation, international engagement, media campaigns and economic pressure through labor unions.
As Ghana approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, the country faces critical decisions about balancing economic development with environmental sustainability. The fate of forest reserves represents a test of whether short term political and economic interests can be subordinated to long term ecological survival and protection of natural heritage for future generations.