By: Ashiadey Dotse
The Majority Leader in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, has said that instead of repealing Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462 completely as promised in the NDC’s 2024 campaign, it would be better to amend the law to remove the President’s power to allow mining in forest reserves.
Speaking in an interview on GBC’s news and current affairs programme, ‘Focus’ on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, Mr. Ayariga explained that the main concern raised by environmental groups is the provision in the law that allows the President to give permission for mining activities in protected forests. He believes that changing just this part of the law would effectively address the issue of illegal mining.
“There’s a clause in the law that allows the President to permit mining in forest reserves. If that is the problem, then we should just amend that part,” he said. “Why repeal the entire legislation when the problem is with just one provision?”
Mr. Ayariga added that some people may not fully understand the difference between repealing an entire law and removing a specific section of it. He emphasized that if the goal is to protect forests, then simply taking away the President’s power to approve mining would be enough.
He also shared his experience as a former Minister for Environment, saying that the real issue is not mining itself, but ensuring that it is done responsibly. He recalled visiting a mining site that had been turned back into a forest after the mining was completed, as part of an environmental reclamation effort.
“Gold is important to our economy. It helps stabilize our currency. But we must mine responsibly,” Mr. Ayariga said.
He concluded by reaffirming the government’s commitment to protecting the environment and working with environmentalists to find the best way forward.
