Three Members of Parliament from the NDC—Alhassan Suhuyini (Tamale North), Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (North Tongu), and Francis Xavier Sosu (Madina)—have submitted a private member’s motion to repeal Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462, which currently allows mining in forest reserves.
The motion seeks to annul Section 3(2) of the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations 2022, removing the President’s power to grant mining leases for exploration in these protected areas.
This move to revoke LI 2462 stems from Organised Labour’s broader campaign against illegal mining.
Although the government had committed to revoking the instrument, Parliament’s indefinite adjournment has delayed the process.
“As legislators, the obligation to ensure a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is greater on us. Indeed, Article 41(k) of the 1992 Constitution provides that “The existence and enjoyment of Rights and Freedoms is inseparable from the performance of duties and obligations and accordingly it shall be the duty of every citizen to protect and safeguard the environment.”
“As such, the obligation and the duty to ensure the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is even greater on us as lawmakers since we have the privilege of partaking in the governance of the state by way of being a check on the Executive, and responsible for approving budgets, formulating laws and policies that affects the environment, climate, public health and ecosystems.”
