Research staff are urging the swift reconvening of Parliament to repeal Legislative Instrument (L.I) 2462, formally known as the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations 2022.
In a joint statement, the Research Staff Association (RSA) and the Research Scientists Association (RSA) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) emphasized that just as Parliament has acted urgently on tax exemptions, it should also act with equal speed to address illegal mining, or “galamsey,” by repealing L.I 2462.
This call reflects a broader national demand for stricter measures against illegal mining and the declaration of a state of emergency to combat these harmful practices.
“We further demand that Parliament be urgently recalled to immediately repeal the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulation 2022 (L.I. 2462), which permits mining in forest reserves. If Members of Parliament can be recalled to grant tax exemptions for companies they believe bring substantial investments, they should act with similar urgency to address the galamsey crisis.
“This issue is a ticking time bomb, threatening to derail all the economic gains and investments made by the nation, and thus immediate action is needed,” the researchers statement read in part.
Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462 in Ghana permits mining within forest reserves under specific conditions, provided it is considered to be in the national interest.
In response, various associations and groups, including Organised Labour, have set a deadline for the government to address the mining issue by the end of September, threatening industrial strikes if a satisfactory solution is not reached.