The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has announced that government will repeal the controversial Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, which empowers the President to authorize mining in forest reserves in the name of inational interest.
Speaking on TV3’s Hot Issues on Sunday, October 12, 2025, Mr. Buah revealed that his ministry is working closely with the Attorney-General’s Department to revoke the law and replace it with a new Legislative Instrument, L.I. 2501.
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“We have to reform the laws. The key issue was to remove the President’s power to permit mining in forest reserves, but many argued that this alone was not enough—and they are right,” the Minister explained. “As a listening government, we are taking the necessary steps. The Attorney-General and I have prepared a new L.I. 2501, which will completely repeal L.I. 2462. That law will be gone.”
Earlier, on October 3, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, disclosed that the new Legislative Instrument would be laid before Parliament when it reconvenes on October 14. He said the measure forms part of a broader legal framework to ban mining in forest reserves altogether.
“An instrument—L.I. 2501—has already been prepared in my office. It will be laid before Parliament to revoke the infamous L.I. 2462,” Dr. Ayine stated during a meeting between President John Dramani Mahama and civil society organizations on illegal mining.
He further explained that the new instrument will include a comprehensive schedule of all forest reserves, to be attached to the statutes, thereby making it illegal to grant mining leases or licenses in any of the listed areas.
“Once the L.I. is laid, it will mature within 21 days. After that, there will be no legal basis for anyone to engage in mining activities within forest reserves,” Dr. Ayine affirmed.
The move has been widely welcomed by environmental advocates, who have long criticized L.I. 2462 for undermining forest protection efforts and enabling destructive mining operations under the guise of national interest.