The Convener of the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, Kenneth Ashigbey, has taken issue with President John Dramani Mahama’s decision not to repeal Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, a move he believes weakens the country’s fight against illegal mining.

Contributing to discussions on Joy FM’s Newsfile programme on Saturday [May 10, 2025] he said the President had made a clear pledge to revoke the regulation within 82 days of assuming office, yet that promise remains unfulfilled.

“This is a president who promised to repeal the e-levy law and, within 82 days of taking office, managed to convert that into action, embedding it in the budget, turning it into a bill, and signing it into law,” he said.

He questioned why the same urgency had not been applied to L.I. 2462, which he described as a major obstacle to efforts aimed at halting illegal mining, commonly referred to as galamsey.

According to him, the government’s decision to amend the regulation rather than scrap it entirely falls short of expectations.

He argued that the amendment would protect only about 10 per cent of Ghana’s forests, whereas a full repeal could have safeguarded closer to 60 per cent, making a much bigger impact on Ghana’s forest cover.

The issue of L.I. 2462 has come under increasing scrutiny in recent months as the country continues to grapple with the devastating effects of galamsey. Forest reserves are being cleared at alarming rates, water bodies are polluted with mercury and other harmful chemicals, and entire ecosystems are under threat.

Dr Ashigbey maintained that unless bold steps are taken, including reversing policies that enable mining in forest reserves, efforts to reclaim degraded lands and restore water sources will remain ineffective.