Research staff are urging the immediate reconvening of Parliament to repeal Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, known as the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations 2022.
In a joint statement, the Research Staff Association (RSA) and the Research Scientists Association (RSA) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) argued that if Parliament can reconvene to grant tax exemptions, it should also act swiftly to repeal L.I. 2462 to combat illegal mining, commonly referred to as “galamsey.”
This call echoes the widespread demand among Ghanaians for a ban on illegal mining and the declaration of a state of emergency to stop these destructive practices.
“We further demand that Parliament be urgently recalled to immediately repeal the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulation 2022 (L.I. 2462), which permits mining in forest reserves. If Members of Parliament can be recalled to grant tax exemptions for companies they believe bring substantial investments, they should act with similar urgency to address the galamsey crisis,” the researchers stated.
They emphasized that this issue poses a severe threat to the nation’s economic gains and investments, requiring immediate action.
L.I. 2462 is a legislative instrument in Ghana that allows for mining activities within forest reserves under specific conditions, if it is considered to be in the national interest.
Other groups, including Organized Labour, have given the government until the end of September to find a lasting solution to this problem, warning of potential industrial strikes if no action is taken.
Source: Adomonline
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