President John Mahama has assured Ghanaians that his government will amend the Minerals and Mining Act, 2003 (Act 703) to permanently prevent mining activities in Ghana’s forest reserves.
Delivering a message on the progress of his social contact with Ghanaians marking his first 120 days, President Mahama noted that he will roll out a comprehensive strategy aimed at sanitising the mining sector, including legal reforms, enforcement action, and land reclamation efforts.
“The first 120 days, we’ve taken decisive action through a five-point strategy to overhaul and sanitise the mining sector. This includes regulatory reforms and strengthening law enforcement, including joint task forces, arrest and seizures of mining equipment, stakeholder collaboration, and reclamation of degraded lands.
“Seven out of nine reserves have been reclaimed; illegal miners have been flushed out of these forest reserves,” Mahama said.
He added that “Concerning the ban on mining in forest reserves, on March 20, 2025, a legislative instrument, L.I. 2462, was presented to Parliament to amend the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulation. This amendment removes the president’s power to approve mining in forest reserve”s.
The president went on to state that he will go beyond regulatory amendments and prevent all forms of mining in forest reserves.
“I also plan to amend the Minerals and Mining Act, 2003 (Act 703) to completely prohibit mining in forest reserves. This would effectively, meticulously, legally, and entirely ban mining in our forest reserves,” he stated.