L.I 2462 will be revoked immediately Parliament reconvenes’ – Sammy Gyamfi
Sammy Gyamfi, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), says the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government will scrap Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462 the moment Parliament returns from recess. The regulation, passed under the previous administration, currently allows mining – including small‑scale operations often branded “galamsey” – inside Ghana’s forest reserves.
Speaking on Channel One TV on Wednesday, 23 April, Gyamfi echoed former President John Dramani Mahama’s long‑stated opposition to destructive, unregulated mining. He explained that the delay in acting against L.I. 2462 has not been for lack of political will but because lawyers needed to decide the cleanest legal route: fix the regulation or throw it out entirely.
Two camps emerged during the consultations. One argued the instrument should simply be amended, especially the clause that hands the president discretion to approve mining leases in protected forests; keeping the rest, they said, would avoid an unintended legal vacuum. The opposing camp insisted the entire law is “poisonous” and must be scrapped, even if that means a temporary gap until a new, environmentally sound framework is drafted. According to Gyamfi, the latter view prevailed after weeks of debate – a sign, he added, that the NDC is a “listening government.”
The Attorney General, Dr Dominic Ayine, has already drafted the repeal bill and is only waiting for Parliament’s first sitting after recess to table it. All background paperwork and stakeholder consultations are done, Gyamfi assured viewers, so the annulment can move swiftly once the House reconvenes.
Repealing L.I. 2462, he stressed, is central to the NDC’s revamped environmental platform. The party says it wants to safeguard Ghana’s dwindling forests, protect watersheds and biodiversity, and clamp down on galamsey’s social and ecological toll. Gyamfi framed the decision as both a practical step toward sustainable resource management and a symbolic break from policies that put short‑term profit over long‑term national interest.
Although details of a replacement regime have not yet been unveiled, Gyamfi hinted that any new legislation will tighten oversight, close loopholes that enable illegal operators, and remove discretionary powers that past governments could exploit for political patronage. Meanwhile, civil‑society groups and mining communities will be engaged to craft rules balancing legitimate small‑scale mining with strict conservation safeguards.
In short, the NDC administration plans to repeal L.I. 2462 immediately after Parliament reconvenes, closing the door on mining inside forest reserves and signalling a tougher line on galamsey as part of its broader environmental agenda.
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