Sammy Gyamfi the acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has stated the Legislative Instrument (L.I) 2462 permitting mining in forest reserves will be revoked immediately after Parliament resumes.
It will be recalled John Mahama during his campaign promised to scrap LI 2462 but has now rather sought to amend it which has sparked a strong stance from environmental advocates and civil society organisations, who have voiced disappointment over the Mahama administration’s decision.
According to Sammy Gyamfi, there were two schools of thought with one arguing that revoking it could lead to a certain vacuum and another that said L. I 2462 is poisonous. It should go in its entirety.
He asserted that the NDC administration is a listening government so those who made that argument have won.
Speaking on Channel One TV, Sammy Gyamfi stated, “L.I 2462 will be revoked by the NDC/Mahama government immediately Parliament resumes. There were legal issues as to whether or not it should be amended or revoked because there is a school of thought that revoking it could lead to a certain vacuum and that what had to be cured was the discretion or power given to the president to grant mining leases for people to mine in protected forest zones.
“Then there was another school of thought that said, look, let’s revoke the entire law, even if we get a vacuum, we can come up with a new L.I…but the L. I 2462 is poisonous. It should go in its entirety. Those who made that argument have won, we are a listening government,” he said.
Meanwhile, Samuel Nartey George, the minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation has also told President John Dramani Mahama to scrap the Legislative Instrument (LI 2462) which permits mining in forest reserves.
Speaking on Morning Starr Sam George stated, “I have made my personal opinion on the decision to amend the LI on mining and forest reserves. I hold the view that LI should be scrapped. It shouldn’t be amended”.
“There must be absolutely no mining in river bodies or in forest reserves. There should be no room for any discretion taken by any political appointee”.
“Illegal mining in water bodies and forest reserves is a criminal act. I don’t care who is involved in it – whether they are NDC or NPP – deal with them, arrest them, jail them”, Sam George added.
He warned that illegal mining consequences know no NDC or NPP.
According to Sam George, the Ghana Water Company does not ask one party colour before water flows into their house.
He noted that anyone engaged in illegal mining are criminal and an enemy of the state.
Sam George added, “When they contaminate the water, the Ghana Water Company doesn’t ask what your party colour is before that water flows into your house. If you’re engaged in illegal mining, you are a criminal and an enemy of the state”.
“If we don’t handle galamsey very well, it has the potential of eroding the goodwill the government is enjoying,” he warned, echoing fears expressed by environmentalists and civil society organisations”, he stated emphatically.
He further expressed confidence in the land minister and the Defence minister in their fight against galamsey so far.
He added, “I’m confident that looking at what Kofi Armah Buah (Minister for Lands and Natural Resources) and Dr. Omane Boamah (Minister for Defence) have started doing, there’s hope. In the short term, we should see more action like we saw two days ago from the joint military team”.
