Spokesperson for Movement for Change, Andrew Appiah-Danquah has suggested that President Mahama should repeal the entire Legislative Instrument (L.I. 2462) which is currently before Parliament for amendment.
The amendment of the Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, seeks to strip the President’s power to grant permission for mining in forest reserves.
However, Appiah-Danquah believes the right thing to be done should be an entire scrapping of the Legislative Instrument and not an amendment.
Speaking in an interview on TV3’s New Day, Monday, March 24, 2025, he argued that forests should be forbidden areas for mining activities as they are “the lungs of our nation.”
“My personal view also is that I know the President is trying to repeal a portion of L.I. 2462, per my view he should just repeal the entire L.I. 2462 because the forest reserves are supposed to be the lungs of our nation so I can’t believe that we want to mine in forests so it’s not about the President taking your powers away, repeal the entire thing and you will get the picture.
“Take special action against these galamseyers who have amassed forces,” he stated.
L.I. 2462 is a legislative instrument in Ghana that allows for mining activities within forest reserves under certain conditions, permitting mining if deemed in the interest of the nation.
He further called for a temporary hold on all small-scale mining activities, stating that are in special times so temporarily revoke all mining licenses, allow nature itself to heal
“The view of the Movement for Change is let’s put a temporal hold on all small-scale mining because under the Mining and Minerals Act mining section 68, mining licenses can be revoked for purposes of national security,” he alluded.
Read also: Forestry Commission officer battles for life after attack by illegal miners in Offin
On Sunday, March 23, a member of the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response Team was attacked by armed illegal miners in the Offin Shelterbelt Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region.
Reports indicate that the officer sustained a deep machete wound to his knee during an ambush by the miners, who were reportedly armed with assault rifles and machetes.
The attack occurred when the Rapid Response Team entered the reserve to halt fresh illegal mining activities.
