EPA admits failure to educate public on mining regulations - Michael Ali

The Director of Mining at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Michael Ali, has admitted that the agency did not adequately educate the Ghanaian public on Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462, a key regulation governing mining activities in forest reserves.

In a myjoyonline.com report, Ali stated that the legislation was enacted after more than two decades of issuing permits for legal mining within the country's forest reserves.

However, he acknowledged that the EPA fell short in its responsibility to ensure that citizens, especially those in mining communities, fully understood the implications and requirements of the regulation.

"After over 20 years of legal mining in forest reserves, the introduction of LI 2462 was a necessary step. Unfortunately, we did not do enough to sensitise the public and key stakeholders on its provisions," he indicated.

Ali gave assurance that the EPA is taking steps to intensify its public education efforts and collaborate more closely with local authorities to ensure effective implementation of the law.

The admission comes amid growing national concerns over illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, which continues to pose a serious threat to Ghana’s environment, especially water bodies and forest ecosystems.

Activists and environmentalists have long argued that the lack of public awareness and enforcement of mining regulations fuels the persistence of illegal mining operations.

The hashtag #NoToGalamsey has been trending on social media, as citizens demand stronger actions against illegal miners and call for greater transparency and education on environmental laws.

MRA/AE

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