Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has confirmed that Parliament has not yet received Legislative Instrument (L.I) 2462, officially known as the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations 2022, which is currently under consideration for revocation.
The call for the repeal of L.I. 2462 has gained momentum, with various groups, including Organised Labour, urging its removal as part of national efforts to address environmental degradation linked to illegal mining activities, commonly referred to as galamsey.
In a circular dated October 10, Minister of Justice and Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame stated that the L.I. had been forwarded to Parliament for review and potential revocation.
Afenyo-Markin assured that once the instrument is formally presented to the legislature, it will receive the necessary attention. He emphasized that Parliament remains committed to addressing issues related to illegal mining and safeguarding the nation’s natural resources.
“I am still learning whether subsidiary law will require any action by Parliament when same is being revoked. We still learn; the law is always at large, so I am still trying to research whether an executive instrument or legislative instrument will come and all, but I am sure bringing it to Parliament—I don’t know, but we will check it,” Afenyo-Markin explained.
He added, “So if it comes and it’s a matter of us doing revocation, what procedure and all would also be looked at. So you get to be updated on that.”
