President Akufo-Addo has signed into law an Act of Parliament which seeks to revise and consolidate all laws relating to wildlife and protected areas, an official statement has said.
The Wildlife Resources Management Act, 2024 (Act 1115), sponsored by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, was passed by Parliament on 28 July, 2023, and assented to by the president on 1 March 2024.
The bill which has been pending for over 15 years, was previously laid before the fifth, sixth and seventh Parliaments, until it was eventually passed by the Eighth Parliament on 28 July 2023.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources Ministry on Monday ( 8 April) said the ministry is committed to the effective implementation of the law.
On Thursday, 28 October 2021, Cabinet, at its 17th meeting, gave approval for the new Wildlife Resources Management Bill, developed through a very extensive consultative process involving both state and non-state actors, to be laid in Parliament, leading to its passage and assent by the President.
“Among others, the new law brings Ghana’s wildlife law in conformity with existing policies in the sector and provide for the implementation of international conventions on wildlife to which Ghana is a signatory. It provides for a new management structure to give legal backing to the involvement of local communities in wildlife management through the creation of Community Resources Management Areas (CREMAs) and provide higher penalties and sanctions regime for wildlife offenses, deterrent enough to protect our wildlife resources.”
“The Ministry is committed to the effective implementation of this important piece of legislation for the efficient and progressive preservation and management of the wildlife resources of our country, in the spirit of transparency, anchored on integrity and utmost good faith, for the benefit of the Ghanaian people,” the statement said.
