LI 2462 Undermines Decades of Environmental Protection – Daryl Bosu
Deputy National Director of A Rocha Ghana, Daryl Bosu, has sharply criticised Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462, warning that its continued existence on Ghana’s statute books poses a significant threat to the country’s forest reserves and water sources.
Speaking during the NorvanReports and Economic Governance Platform (EGP) X Space discussion on the topic “Mining, Power and Protectionism: Who Really Benefits From the Deportation of Foreign Galamseyers?”, Mr Bosu argued that LI 2462, which permits mining in forest reserves, effectively dismantles decades of environmental safeguards.
“Before 2017, there were only three mining concessions granted to companies like Newmont,” Mr Bosu disclosed, adding that those concessions were sanctioned through parliamentary approval, not presidential discretion.
“To prevent administrative lapses that granted mining access to production forest reserves, a guideline was introduced, restricting mining to no more than two percent of any such reserve,” he said.
According to him, this two percent threshold was respected up until 2017, when the current government came into power. He claimed that prior to the passage of LI 2462 in November 2022, no new mining permits had been granted in forest reserves, and the reserves were “much better protected.”
Mr Bosu accused the government of deliberately paving the way for politically connected mining firms to secure concessions in forest reserves ahead of the LI’s passage.
“I can tell you with certainty that by December 2022, a mining application for a forest reserve had already gone through processing,” he revealed. “That’s why people even had the audacity to propose mining parts of Kakum National Park.”
The A Rocha Ghana Deputy National Director dismissed claims that repealing LI 2462 would create a legal vacuum that could expose the forest to unregulated mining. He called for the swift introduction of a more progressive legal framework to replace the controversial instrument.
“We’ve said it repeatedly—before LI 2462, no forest reserve was at risk. It’s only after its passage that our reserves have come under threat,” he stressed.
Highlighting the critical role forest reserves play in water security, Mr Bosu cautioned that mining in protected areas could jeopardise the water sources of millions of Ghanaians.
“Our forest reserves feed major water bodies that supply abstraction points used by the Ghana Water Company. The Atewa Forest, for instance, provides water to over 5 million Ghanaians,” he noted. “If we allow LI 2462 to remain, we are knowingly endangering not only today’s population but generations yet unborn.”
He also called on the government to honour its social contract with citizens, referencing item 19 of the ruling party’s 120-day promise to revoke all mining activities in forest reserves.
“That was a commitment made to Ghanaians. Failing to honour it puts the future of this country’s environmental integrity at risk,” Mr Bosu stated.
