A mining consultant, Wisdom Gomashie, has challenged recent government claims suggesting that mining in forest reserves is banned in Ghana.

He insisted that under the country’s existing laws, mining in forest reserves remains legal unless the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) is amended.

Sharing these arguments in a detailed public post, Gomashie accused the government of “playing with words” and attempting to mislead the public, urging media houses to report accurately on the matter.

According to him, Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462, which has been at the centre of public debates, does not grant licences for mining in forest reserves and never did.

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Rather, he explained that the LI was introduced to impose tighter mining and environmental control standards on companies that had already been granted leases in forest reserves.

“LI 2462 was a law meant to ensure stricter environmental and mining standards for companies operating in forest reserves, not to legalise mining there,” portions of his statement said.

He further cited examples of large-scale mining firms such as Chirano Gold Mine and Newmont Akyem, which were granted mining leases in forest reserves as far back as 2005 — about 17 years before LI 2462 was passed.

He noted that these companies continue to operate, demonstrating that mining in forest reserves predate the controversial Legislative Instrument.

He also argued that Ghana’s forest depletion cannot be blamed solely on LI 2462, pointing to data showing that between 2002 and 2023, the country lost about 143,000 hectares of humid primary forest, accounting for 8.9 per cent of total tree cover loss.

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From 2001 to 2023, Ghana reportedly lost 1.64 million hectares of tree cover — a 24 per cent decrease since 2000 — largely due to illegal mining, illegal logging and other activities that predate the passage of LI 2462.

“If the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, and President John Dramani Mahama genuinely want to stop mining in forest reserves, the solution is straightforward.

"State it explicitly clear in the Mining Policy Amendment Document. Eg. 'Ghana will not allow mining in forest reserves',” he added.

More importantly, he stressed the need to amend Act 703 to reflect that policy direction.

Specifically, he called for amendments to Sections 4, 5, 9, 11, 13, 18, and Sections 31 to 47 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006, to legally prohibit mining activities in forest reserves.

“Until these amendments are made, mining in forest reserves remains legal under the laws of Ghana,” he emphasised, warning that revoking LI 2462 alone would create significant legal and operational challenges for the government.

See his full post below:



AE