Environmental groups in Ghana intensified calls for President John Mahama to honor his pledge to fully revoke a controversial law permitting mining in forest reserves, as the nation marked World Water Day on March 22, 2025.
Civil society organizations (CSOs), including Eco-Conscious Citizens, accuse the government of backtracking by proposing amendments to Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462 instead of scrapping it entirely—a move they argue perpetuates ecological devastation.
The law, enacted in 2023 under former President Nana Akufo-Addo, opened Ghana’s protected forests to mining despite widespread opposition. Both the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Mahama, then in opposition, had vowed to revoke LI 2462 during the 2024 election campaign. Activists now warn that amendments tabled in Parliament this week fail to address the core issue: unchecked mining in critical ecosystems that safeguard watersheds.
“Our forests are the lifeblood of Ghana’s rivers,” said Awula Serwah, founder of Eco-Conscious Citizens, during a protest outside the Forestry Commission headquarters. “Every day this law remains, illegal miners ravage reserves like Atewa and Tano Offin, poisoning water sources millions depend on.”
The dispute centers on conflicting commitments. In October 2024, Mahama told the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs he would repeal LI 2462 if the outgoing administration did not. “Once this government amended the LI, it resulted in a free-for-all,” he said at the time, condemning the “desecration” of forests.
Yet his government’s recent decision to amend rather than revoke the law has drawn fierce criticism. CSOs argue the revisions lack enforceable safeguards, allowing destructive practices like alluvial mining to persist. They link the crisis to Ghana’s declining water quality, with major rivers like the Pra and Ankobra contaminated by mercury and silt from mining activities.
The controversy overshadowed the government’s March 21 launch of the “Tree For Life” reforestation initiative, which activists called hypocritical. “You cannot plant trees with one hand and let miners destroy forests with the other,” Serwah stated.
LI 2462’s passage last year triggered a legal battle, with environmentalists filing suits to halt its implementation. Satellite data from Ghana’s Forestry Commission reveals over 15% of protected forest cover has been lost since 2023, much of it to illegal mining operations emboldened by the law.
The World Resources Institute ranks Ghana among the top countries for tropical primary forest loss, driven largely by logging and mining. CSOs warn that continued erosion of forest reserves threatens progress on Sustainable Development Goals tied to clean water, climate action, and biodiversity.
As protests spread, Mahama’s administration faces a litmus test. With the amended LI yet to be debated, activists vow to escalate campaigns ahead of key parliamentary votes. “Ghanaians were promised a revocation, not half-measures,” Serwah said. “Our survival depends on it.”
