Forest Reserve
The Acting Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, has stressed that repealing the law permitting mining in forest reserves is a crucial step if Ghana is to make any meaningful progress in the fight against illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Speaking at the opening of the 2025 Annual General Conference of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) in Wa on Monday, September 15, 2025, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie described galamsey as a direct threat to Ghana’s survival.
His speech was delivered on his behalf by Justice Hafisata Amaleboba.
He specifically called for a review and repeal of the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulation 2022 (L.I. 2462), which currently permits mining in forest reserves. According to him, scrapping the law would mark a decisive turning point in tackling the menace.
“It is a good place to start if we sincerely want to win the war against galamsey. The time to act is now without any further delay,” he emphasised.
The Acting Chief Justice lamented that despite decades of legal reforms — including the repeal of the Small-Scale Gold Mining Law, PNDC Law 218 of 1989, and the enactment of the Minerals and Mining Act 703 of 2006 — illegal mining has persisted and even worsened.
He further warned that the damage from galamsey extends beyond environmental destruction to national security risks, citing increased criminal activities in communities where illegal miners, including foreign nationals, are active.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie stressed that Ghana cannot continue to allow its forest reserves, water bodies, and communities to suffer from what he called “unspeakable death, pain, and disruption.”
He urged policymakers to adopt bold, uncompromising measures, beginning with repealing laws that undermine environmental protection, to restore Ghana’s forests and water bodies and secure the nation’s future.
