Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners, Ashanti District, Mr Michael Adu Gyamfi, says the announcement by the government to repeal the Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, which allows mining in forest reserves, is positive news.
He said the designing of the L.I. was a terrible idea; hence, taking the bold decision in repealing it was commendable.
Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the Minister for Government Communications, announced that the government will repeal the law instead of amending it.
Speaking at the World Press Freedom Day event organised by the German Embassy and the UK High Commission in Accra, Kwakye Ofosu asserted that “There is some legislative action that is currently going on. On March 20, the Minister for Environment laid the L.I. 2462 in Parliament. The intent originally was to amend it and take away the power of the president to grant licences in forest reserves.
“But the new thinking is that it should be revoked entirely. So, I have words from the AG that he will push for this once parliament resumes.”
Speaking in an interview on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio in response to the assurance given, Mr. Adu Gyamfi said ”our forest reserves are protected areas established by governments to conserve biodiversity, protect the country, and manage natural resources, and so if that was the idea, allowing mining in these reserves for environmental sustainability was, excuse me to say, senseless. That was why Ghanaians spoke against it and demanded a repeal of the L.I.
As responsible citizens, it was our duty to speak against this. Illegal mining activities have caused damage to our water bodies. The state of degradation is alarming, and we need drastic solutions and effective systems to mitigate the level of destruction caused by galamsey. So, we will commend the president for taking the step to have the L.I. repealed. We are in full support. We are prepared to offer any form of assistance to the government to address illegal mining activities,’’ he added.
He alleged that certain large-scale mining companies granted licences to mine and had allocated portions of their concessions to small-scale miners for mining purposes.
He stated that, in accordance with the law, small-scale miners lack the authority to mine in reserves or on water bodies, and therefore, any small-scale miner found engaging in mining in these areas may have acquired the concession from large-scale mining companies.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
