Convener of the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, Dr Ken Ashigbey, has commended the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, for revoking Executive Instrument (EI) 144, describing the decision as a significant milestone in Ghana's efforts to protect its forests and combat environmental degradation.

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.

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

Speaking in an interview on Joy FM's Midday News on Wednesday, 15 July, Dr Ashigbey said the revocation of EI 144 was a long-standing demand by environmental advocates and deserved recognition.

"We definitely need to commend this Minister for Lands and Natural Resources for the revocation of EI 144. That has been one of the things that environmentalists have really been pushing for," he said.

According to him, the decision is particularly significant because it strengthens protection for one of the country's most important forest reserves.

"When you fly over Accra, it's only the Achimota Forest that has a semblance of a forest. It was important that we restored it and protected nature. I think we need to celebrate this particular win in our fight against the degradation of the environment," he stated.

Dr Ashigbey also praised Mr Armah-Kofi Buah for his earlier role as Acting Minister for Environment, noting that it was during that period that the Executive Instrument permitting mining in forest reserves was revoked.

He said both decisions represent important milestones in the government's environmental protection agenda and should rank among the Minister's key achievements.

While applauding the Minister, Dr Ashigbey stressed that the broader fight against illegal mining requires stronger collaboration among all relevant state institutions, arguing that the challenge cannot be addressed by the Ministry alone.

He maintained that agencies responsible for tackling illegal mining must work together to ensure that policy reforms are backed by effective enforcement and produce lasting results on the ground.