Veep Announces Tough New Law to Ban Mining in Water Bodies and Forest Reserves
Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has revealed that the Ghanaian government is drafting legislation to completely ban all mining activities in the country’s water bodies and forest reserves, aiming to reverse existing provisions that allow such operations and relocate miners to safer areas.
Speaking to the Ghanaian community in Belgium during her visit to the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels on October 12, 2025, Opoku-Agyemang described illegal mining—known as galamsey—as a “national crisis” devastating rivers, forests, and livelihoods.
“We’re working towards banning mining in water bodies. A bill is being prepared to reverse what you saw and to ensure that the people are moved out of these areas and properly placed,” she stated, condemning the abandonment of bare pits that pose severe environmental and safety hazards.
The announcement aligns with Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine’s pledge to repeal L.I. 2462, the regulation permitting mining in forest reserves, and Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister James Gyakye Quayson’s review of over 2,100 licenses issued from 2017-2024, many to politically connected individuals.
Quayson warned of prosecutions for all guilty parties, with the government’s goal to restore polluted water bodies.
Opoku-Agyemang’s comments, made during a community engagement, underscore the administration’s resolve to end galamsey, a scourge destroying ecosystems and livelihoods. She appealed for diaspora support: “Gov’t resolute on ending galamsey; we need your support.”
The proposed law builds on President Mahama’s January 2025 reaffirmation of a mining ban in forest reserves and the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences’ September 2024 call for immediate action.
Amid global partnerships like the EU’s €11.5 billion South Africa investment, Ghana seeks blended financing for sustainable mining, as Opoku-Agyemang urged at the Forum.
