President John Mahama has declared a firm and final stance against mining in Ghana’s forest reserves, unveiling a plan to amend the country’s Minerals and Mining Act to make such activities permanently illegal.

Delivering an address to mark 120 days since the start of his second term, he said his administration is executing a bold five-point strategy to cleanse the mining sector of lawlessness and environmental destruction.

“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,” he said.

Mahama reported that seven out of nine forest reserves have already been reclaimed and that illegal miners have been expelled from those areas.

Central to the legal reforms is the March 20, 2025, presentation of Legislative Instrument L.I. 2462 to Parliament.

The regulation seeks to amend the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations by stripping the president of the power to approve mining in forest reserves.

“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 reserves,” Mahama said.

But the president is not stopping there. He announced plans to go further by targeting the main law governing mining activities.

“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 declared.

Mahama’s push is part of a larger agenda to reverse the environmental devastation caused by illegal mining, protect biodiversity, and restore degraded lands across the country.