A Rocha Ghana and Six Others to Sue Government Over ‘Galamsey’

A Rocha Ghana, in collaboration with six other civil society organizations, plans to sue the government over illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, in forest reserves. The coalition includes Kasa Ghana, Eco-Conscious Citizens, Tropenbos, Nature and Development Foundation, Civic Response, and the Media Coalition Against Galamsey.

The group is concerned about the destructive effects of mining activities in Ghana’s protected forests. They argue that the passage of Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462 in 2022, which permits mining in forest reserves, has caused significant environmental damage and endangered the livelihoods of many Ghanaians.

During an emergency press briefing in Accra, A Rocha Ghana’s Deputy National Director, Daryl Bossu, stated that their primary goal is to secure an injunction to halt all mining and prospecting activities in forest reserves to protect the environment. The group is also challenging the legality of LI 2462, which, they claim, was enacted without the required physical impact assessment, violating the Public Financial Management Act.

Bossu further emphasized that the Minerals Commission continues to accept mining applications in forest reserves as recently as August 2024, which the group believes should be stopped due to the regulation’s legal shortcomings.