AG Ayine has assured that LI 2462 will be repealed when Parliament resumes — Sammy Gyamfi

Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, has disclosed that plans are underway to repeal Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462 — officially known as the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2022.

He explained that although government initially considered amending the LI to remove the President’s power to grant mining concessions in forest reserves, it has now resolved to scrap the law entirely.

According to Sammy Gyamfi, who also serves as the National Communications Officer of the NDC, the earlier hesitation to repeal the law was due to concerns that doing so could create a legal vacuum.

However, speaking on Accra-based Channel One TV on Wednesday, April 23, he said the government had now embraced calls from stakeholders who view the law as “poisonous” and are pushing for a total repeal.

“LI 2462 will be revoked by the NDC-Mahama government immediately Parliament resumes,” he said. “There were legal arguments about whether to amend or revoke it. Some said revoking it could create a vacuum, but others argued that we could always introduce a new LI to fill that gap. I think those advocating a full repeal have prevailed. We are a listening government.”

He added, “Before coming here, I spoke with my senior brother and boss, the Honorable Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, and he assured me that the revocation is ready and will happen as soon as Parliament resumes.”

Sammy Gyamfi further noted that, even ahead of the repeal, the government has already begun taking steps to clamp down on illegal mining activities, particularly in forest reserves.