Investigative journalist Manaseeh Azure Awuni has said President John Dramani Mahama’s posture on the fight against illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey) is disappointing. He says President Mahama does not inspire confidence that he will fight the menace. In a Facebook post after President John Mahama’s engagement with the media in Accra on Wednesday, September 10, he said, “President Mahama has been brilliant tonight. From his first term and now, President Mahama has always demonstrated a strong grasp of all sectors. He’s not the kind that can be easily fooled by a minister or an appointee. “On galamsey, however, he has been very disappointing. The decay did not start in the last 8 years of Akufo-Addo, as the president said. I was a journalist when President Mahama was president. In his first term, I did not see the seriousness in fighting the menace. And his body language doesn’t seem to show that it will be any different. The land that is destroyed because of galamsey can produce food crops, so we should stop creating the impression that the only alternative to illegal mining is ‘deviant acts,’ as the president said. “Why disband the IGP’s task force instead of just asking them to verify permits when they visit a site? Which sites did the task force invade that turned out to be a legitimate mining concession? Mr. President, so far, you have done well. Ghanaians are beginning to hope again in many sectors, but in the fight against galamsey, I feel more hopeless after listening to you tonight.” During the media encounter, President John Dramani Mahama said, among other things, that he has been reluctant to implement a state of emergency in the galamsey fight because they have not exhausted the powers to tackle illegal mining. “I’ve been reluctant to implement a state of emergency in the galamsey fight because we’ve not exhausted the powers we even have without a state of emergency,” he explained. He stressed that government agencies already have the mandate to arrest offenders, seize equipment, and enforce forest protection laws. “We have the opportunity to arrest anybody, to confiscate any such thing. The laws for forest protection and all that give us enough powers to be able to act,” he said. President Mahama further stated that since assuming office, his government has not issued any license to allow mining in the country’s forest reserves. He said plans are underway to repeal L.I. 2462, which allows mining in forest reserves. “Steps are currently underway to repeal L.I. 2462 to formalize our commitment to end mining in forest reserves. Let me be clear, since my administration resumed office not a single license has been issued to any company to mine in our forest reserves,” the President stated. According to the President, the repeal of L.I.2462 is will demonstrate in practice his government’s commitment to protect these forest reserves. The Acting Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (MP), has officially written to the Office of the Attorney General for the immediate revocation of Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462 and its amended version, L.I. 2501. This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Ministry on August 29, 2025 and signed by Ama Mawusi Mawuenyefia. The statement noted that this legal action is designed to unify and strengthen the regulatory framework, creating a cohesive front for all stakeholders in the national fight against illegal mining, known as ‘galamsey.’ The move aims to end the severe environmental devastation that has polluted Ghana’s water bodies and degraded its forest reserves. The Minister expressed confidence that the existing regulatory regime, under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), provides robust and sufficient guidelines to oversee all mining activities. This consolidated framework will ensure strict compliance with environmental and social standards, guaranteeing responsible mining practices across the sector. The move directly complements on-the-ground efforts such as the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) and the operational coordination of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS). L.I. 2462 was enacted to regulate the environmental aspects of mining in forest reserves, deriving its authority from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Act. It established a system for granting mining licenses and environmental permits within forest reserves, with specific conditions to mitigate damage. The regulations prohibited mining in certain sensitive ecological and cultural sites, including “Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas” (GSBAs), but granted the President the authority to approve mining in these restricted areas if deemed to be in the “national interest.” The Legislative Instrument was met with immediate and widespread backlash from civil society organisations, environmental activists, and concerned citizens who say the L.I. has allowed for more environmental destruction and lacked the ability to protect the forest reserves. In October 2024, the then Attorney-General initiated the process to revoke L.I. 2462 by laying a new legislative instrument before Parliament. This new instrument, the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) (Revocation) Instrument, 2024 which intended to make all mining in forest reserves illegal.