Amending L.I on mining in forest reserves is an inter-ministerial effort – Environment Minister

The Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, has strongly refuted claims that the review of the Legislative Instrument (L.I.) governing mining in forest reserves was initiated solely by the Ministry, stating that it was a collective government decision driven by policy and national interest.

Speaking on The KeyPoints with Alfred Ocansey, the Minister expressed concern over such assertions.

“To say that the L.I. is not an L.I. for Ministry of Lands, it is the L.I. of the Ministry of Environment, I think that he is missing the point,” he said.

Mr. Mohammed emphasized that such legislative changes are not driven by individuals but by ministries acting on behalf of the government.

“It’s a decision taken by government for an L.I. to be amended. That decision would have to be taken up by a Ministry. So, I happen to be the Minister for Environment, Science and Technology,” he explained.

Addressing criticism from civil society groups and public figures like Media Coalition Against mining headed by Dr. Ken Ashigbey, the Minister was candid about the collaborative nature of the amendment process.

“Why do we then turn it to be a blame of the Ministry? In any case, the NDC was very clear during the elections campaign—President Mahama was very clear—that the reason why that L.I. was a problem was the authorization of people to mine in forest areas. And I agree.”

Mr. Mohammed also pointed out that the controversial L.I. was designed with specific interests in mind.

He further revealed that the government has started working on a broader repeal process.

“We are also working on repealing the Minerals and Mining Act 2003, Act 703,” the Minister stated.

According to him, this is part of a wider effort to eliminate all legal provisions that allow mining in protected forest areas.

In defending the new legislative direction, Mr. Mohammed highlighted improvements in the Environmental Protection Authority’s (EPA) regulatory powers.

“With the new law, the EPA permit now is a condition precedent. That you need to have that before you can even be considered to mine.”

He described the EPA’s enhanced role as a strategic move.

“The EPA falls under a completely different ministry—in this case, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology. So, that alone created an inhibition on the way of those who wanted to abuse that aspect of the law,” he said.

The Minister concluded by acknowledging the evolving nature of laws.

“Laws are tested based on the circumstances and events at any point in time… It is possible we would have just completely repealed this and come out with a new law that my brother, Dr. Ken Ashigbey, would have been very happy with. Maybe within one or two years, he will sit on TV and say there is an aspect of this law that we need to take a second look,” the Minister said.

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