Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM) is calling for the revocation of the Environmental Protection Regulation, LI 2462.

Executive Director of the Environmental Advocacy group, Hannah Owusu-Koranteng says the law will only facilitate the degradation of 80 percent of Ghana’s forest reserve.

“If you look at the hierarchy of laws, the constitution is the basic or primary law followed by the policies and then you come to the Acts, and the LI is developed to reflect what is in the Act and so this LI that has been developed to allow mining in protected forest, some of the forests that you are talking about will lose about 80 plus percent of their cover.”

She made these comments in an interview with JoyNews on Friday.

Her comments follow reports that mining activities are expected to take off within the Nyinahin forest reserve in 2024. The report is pending cabinet approval of a bauxite mining lease and Parliamentary ratification.

She stressed that the LI will make it lawful for illegal mining activities to take place in forests including those that were initially protected by Acts.

“It’s given some legitimacy for illegal activities, that is what I will say because if you look at the Minerals and Mining Act 703, it is explicit that mining is available on every land except when the land is covered by an Act or otherwise.

“When you have legislation saying that this place is earmarked as a protected forest, as a forest reserve as a globally significant biodiversity area then it is not available for mining,” she added.

WACAM is amongst one of many Civil Society Organizations calling for a revocation of the LI.   

Other organisations including the Media Coalition against Illegal Mining have threatened to protest if the regulation is not revised

Convener of the Coalition, Kenneth Ashigbey says the group is concerned about the recent application for a license by a company to mine in the Kakum National Park.

He added that this was a major problem since it threatens the environment and the survival of human life at large.

The coalition says it will begin mobilising all Ghanaians by “doing a prayer protest so it is prayer in one form but it is also a protest that we will carry our placards and we will have a petition that we will take to the government asking them for this revocation.”

Again, the Coalition plans to collaborate with the Catholic Bishop Conference, the Christian Council, and the Office of the Chief Imam to press home their demand.