Workers of the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency have called on the outgoing government, particularly the Leader of Government Business in Parliament, to expedite the passage of the Environmental Protection Bill 2024.
Speaking to the media in Accra, Godsway Lawson Daniels, the Divisional Chairman of the Public Service Workers Union of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) at the Environmental Protection Agency, stressed the urgency of passing the bill before the end of the 8th Parliament to avoid further delays in the 9th Parliament.
“We make a passionate appeal to Mr. Alexander Afenyo-Markin, MP for Effutu and Leader of Government Business, to ensure this critical bill is passed into law before the dissolution of this Parliament,” Daniels said.
He stressed that the Bill is at its final stage and represents years of extensive work.
He also urged the minority in Parliament to lend their support when the Bill is presented for its third reading in early January 2025.
The Environmental Protection Bill, 2024, spearheaded by the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, seeks to provide a consolidated legal framework for addressing environmental protection issues.
It aims to harmonize existing laws such as the Environmental Protection Act (1994), the Pesticides Control and Management Act (1996), and the Hazardous and Electronic Waste Control and Management Act (2016).
The Bill also proposes establishing an Environmental Protection Authority to oversee environmental regulation and coordination, introduce a Pesticides Management Fund, and strengthen efforts to combat climate change.
Although advertised for its third reading on December 20, 2024, the session adjourned without its consideration, prompting renewed appeals for its swift passage.
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