Galamsey: Govt to lay legislative instrument to revoke mining in forest reserves regulation
Government has officially taken steps to revoke the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Instrument, known as LI 2462, which regulated mining activities in forest reserves.
This move comes in response to demands made by Organised Labour, which had threatened to embark on a nationwide strike on October 10 due to the damaging effects of illegal mining, commonly referred to as galamsey, on the environment.
The revocation of LI 2462 marks a major step in addressing the environmental concerns raised by labour unions and other stakeholders across Ghana.
The revocation process was initiated on Thursday, October 10, 2024, when the Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, formally presented the revocation instrument to the Clerk of Parliament.
This presentation is a critical step in the legislative process, as it sets the stage for Parliament to debate and potentially endorse the government’s decision to revoke LI 2462, in accordance with the procedures laid out in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
Under Article 11(7) of the 1992 Constitution, any legislative instrument, such as the one governing mining in forest reserves, must be laid before Parliament for a period of 21 sitting days. During this time, Members of Parliament have the opportunity to review and debate the instrument. Unless two-thirds of the MPs vote to annul it, the revocation will automatically come into effect after this period, thereby officially ending the enforcement of LI 2462.
Below is the legislative instrument.
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