The Coordinator of Eco-Conscious Citizens, Awula Serwah, has taken a strong stance against the government’s decision to amend Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462 instead of revoking it entirely — a promise she says was clearly made by President John Dramani Mahama during the 2024 election campaign.

Speaking at the JoyNews National Dialogue on Repealing L.I. 2462, Madam Serwah described the President’s shift as a betrayal of public trust and insisted that he owes Ghanaians an apology.

“The President assured us in the run-up to the election that L.I. 2462 was going to be revoked. He did not mention an amendment. He said revoked. So in fairness to Ghanaians, the President should apologise for the laying of an amendment rather than a revocation,” she said on Thursday, May 8.

Madam Serwah maintained that there should be no state-sanctioned mining in Ghana’s forest reserves, adding that the decision to propose an amendment instead of a full repeal undermines environmental protection efforts.

She argued that L.I. 2462 should be repealed outright, and new, carefully considered regulations should be developed in collaboration with legal experts.

“We don’t need state-sponsored mining in forest reserves,” she asserted. “Revoking L.I. 2462 is not the end of the story — of course not — but it will show goodwill and good faith. From there, we can move forward with constructive dialogue.”

Madam Serwah also criticised how illegal mining continues to be framed in public discourse.

“We shouldn’t be talking about banning something that is already criminal. Illegal mining is illegal — what we need is strict enforcement of the law. That’s all,” she added.