THE Ghanaian government has added to its arsenal of mining regulations a new Legislative Instrument (L.I.) aimed at regulating mining in forest reserves.
The Environmental Protection Regulation 2022 (L.I. 2462), passed by parliament last November was unveiled by the Environmental Protection Council (EPA), Forestry Commission and other stakeholders at a ceremony Wednesday, Koku Devitor reports.
The new law seeks to bridge the gaps in environmental regulations in the mining sector and replace the EPA guidelines that governed mining in forest reserves since the year 2000.
‘Some of our investors think the guidelines we were using to monitor such activities for the past 23 years were inadequate to regulate, so after broad consultations with the relevant stakeholders, we have promulgated this new regulation,’ said Ransford Sakyi, Deputy Executive Secretary of EPA.
Sakyi said in an interview with Africa Briefing that the new regulation contained clear guidelines on mineral prospecting activities in reserves, how to enter a forest to construct an access route to mineral deposits, how to drill, and how to monitor such activities.
‘The regulation also legitimizes the 0.6 percent ecological fee charged investors to assist administrative activities, among other things,’ Sakyi said.
He added that 50 percent of that money would also be used for development within the catchment communities of the specific mining operations.
The new regulation also gives prohibitions on where mining activities cannot take place, specific associated operations that should not happen within the location of the mines in forest reserves, and sanctions concerning infractions of the rules.
‘Every investor looks out for destinations with the rule of law. So this is good for Ghana because the investors would realise that our laws protect the environment and attract more investments.
‘So the new regulation will encourage investment, and since Ghana is one of the leading mining investment destinations in West Africa and Africa, the new regulation will go a long way to attract more investments into the country,’ Sakyi told Africa Briefing.
Although the regulation was passed under the EPA law (Act 490), other relevant bodies, including the Minerals Commission, Forestry Commission, Water Resources Commission, local government assemblies, and traditional authorities, are designated partners in the implementation and enforcement.
Ghana, Africa’s second-largest gold producer with 2.8 million ounces of gold of gold exports in 2021, has been facing serious environmental challenges due to difficulties in reining in illegal small-scale miners.
