EPA orders immediate halt to reclamation works without environmental permits

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has directed all institutions, companies, contractors and individuals undertaking land reclamation, mine-site rehabilitation, dredging and water-body restoration without the requisite environmental permits to cease operations immediately.

The directive, contained in a public notice issued on October 14, 2026, requires affected entities to stop work and report to the nearest EPA Regional Office or the Authority’s head office for regulatory assessment.

The EPA said it had observed with serious concern the increasing number of reclamation and restoration activities being carried out across the country without the necessary Environmental Permits and regulatory oversight.

The Authority stressed that the requirement applies to both public and private sector projects, warning that government sponsorship, public funding or donor support does not exempt any project from Ghana’s environmental permitting regime.

It specifically named the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Forestry Commission, Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Minerals Commission and Mineral Development Fund, alongside other public institutions involved in reclamation and restoration programmes, as entities required to ensure compliance before physical works begin or continue.

Under Regulation 40 of the Environmental Protection (Environmental Assessment) Regulations, 2025 (L.I. 2504), reclamation and restoration activities fall within the country’s environmental assessment and permitting framework.

The activities covered include mine reclamation and rehabilitation, restoration of degraded lands and abandoned mining sites, backfilling and reshaping excavated areas, revegetation, dredging and desilting of rivers, diversion of river channels, and the restoration of polluted water bodies, wetlands and aquatic ecosystems.

The EPA emphasised that no institution, company, contractor or individual is permitted to commence, continue or authorise such activities without first obtaining the required Environmental Permit.

It further cautioned that the award of a contract, approval of funding, possession of a mining lease or concession, or authorisation from another public institution does not constitute an EPA permit.

Similarly, a memorandum of understanding, consent from a traditional authority, or participation in a government programme cannot replace the statutory approval required from the Authority.

Contracting institutions have consequently been directed to verify the environmental permit status of projects before allowing contractors to mobilise to project sites.

The EPA maintained that the directive is not intended to undermine efforts to restore lands and water bodies damaged by illegal and irresponsible mining, acknowledging that such interventions are urgently needed.

However, it warned that the urgency of reclaiming degraded lands cannot justify bypassing environmental safeguards, cautioning that improperly managed restoration projects could themselves become sources of further environmental destruction.

The Authority warned that any institution or individual that continues reclamation, dredging, rehabilitation or restoration activities without the required permit after the notice would be acting in defiance of Ghana’s environmental regulatory framework and would be dealt with in accordance with applicable laws.

“Protecting Ghana's environment is a legal obligation. Compliance is not optional,” the EPA stated.