Coordinator of Eco-Conscious Citizens, Awula Serwah, has welcomed the revocation of Executive Instrument (EI) 144, which restores the Achimota Forest Reserve to its full protected status.

She described it as a major victory for years of advocacy to protect Ghana’s forest reserves.

However, she says the government’s fight against illegal mining will remain incomplete unless authorities move beyond arresting small-scale operators and prosecute the powerful individuals and politically exposed persons allegedly behind galamsey activities.

Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Wednesday, July 15, Madam Serwah said the restoration of the Achimota Forest Reserve to its protected status was a positive development, given the ecological importance of the forest to Accra.

Read Also: Cabinet restores Achimota Forest Reserve to full protected status

"We are pleased that EI 144 has finally been revoked. We know that Achimota Forest is the lungs of Accra, the last remaining forest reserve in Greater Accra. So we are pleased that EI 144 has been revoked," she said.

While praising the revocation of EI 144, she called on government to take further steps to recover portions of the Achimota Forest Reserve that had previously been allocated to private individuals and reintegrate them into the protected reserve.

She also commended the earlier revocation of Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462, which removed the legal basis for mining in forest reserves.

Despite these gains, Madam Serwah expressed concern about the pace of prosecutions in the fight against illegal mining, questioning why prominent individuals suspected of financing or facilitating galamsey activities have not been held accountable.

"Apart from Chairman Wontumi being prosecuted, which politically exposed persons are being prosecuted?" she asked.

According to her, while several people have been arrested in connection with illegal mining, many of those appearing before the courts are ordinary citizens, while the alleged financiers and influential actors remain untouched.

"We have the ordinary Kwame and Kojo being prosecuted, but those behind the big boys behind illegal mining are not being arrested and prosecuted," she stated.

Madam Serwah referenced President John Mahama’s earlier comment that some members of his own government could be involved in illegal mining, saying such allegations must be followed with investigations and accountability.

She stressed that Ghana’s forests and water bodies continue to face an existential threat from illegal mining and urged authorities to ensure that enforcement efforts target all levels of the illegal mining chain.

His remarks follow the Minister's announcement that Cabinet had revoked EI 144, restoring the Achimota Forest Reserve to its full protected status and reversing the decision that excised part of the forest from the reserve four years ago.

The revocation restores the forest to its original classification under the 1927 declaration, effectively nullifying the legal changes introduced in 2022 that removed approximately 361.5 acres from the southern portion of the reserve.