Attorney General to Lay Bill in Parliament to Establish Galamsey Courts
- Attorney General Dr Dominic Ayine has announced that Ghana will establish special courts to tackle illegal mining cases, known locally as galamsey
- He said the bill to set up the courts will be presented to Parliament in February 2026 after Cabinet approval and Judiciary input
- The new law will enforce strict timelines on adjournments to fast-track trials and curb long delays in the justice system
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The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has announced plans to set up specialised courts to handle illegal mining cases.
Speaking in an interview with Joy News on Saturday, January 10, 2026, Dr Ayine disclosed that a bill for the establishment of the court will be laid in February 2026.
Source: Facebook
He said although Cabinet had already approved it, the draft bill is currently being revised following concerns raised by the Judiciary.
When finalised, the Attorney General stated that the bill would introduce mandatory timelines to speed up trials in cases involving illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
“The law will provide timelines for adjournments. So, for instance, we are putting it in the law that an adjournment should not exceed two weeks (14 days),” he said.
Dr Ayine further stated that once the timelines were written into law, tribunal members would be mandated to abide by them.
This, he said, would prevent the long delays often seen in ordinary courts, adding that once it is the law, the chairperson and the members of the tribunal will have to adhere to the it.
"They cannot, for instance, in the face of a statutory provision, give adjournments that are long in duration,” he said.
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Attorney General bemoans lengthy court adjournments
Meanwhile, the Attorney General and Minister for Justice has blamed repeated and lengthy adjournments for weakening the fight against illegal mining.
He cited cases where courts had taken three months to give simple rulings.
“Part of the problem we have had with the trials is the long adjournments that are given. For instance, you are supposed to give a ruling on a preliminary matter, and you take an adjournment of three months to give a simple ruling which could have been done that same day or shortly after,” he said.
The establishment of the special courts to handle galamsey cases, he added, is part of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s commitment to curb the illegal mining menace.
Source: UGC
Government bans mining in forest reserves
In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that the Government of Ghana had placed a total ban on mining in forest reserves after repealing the infamous L.I. 2462.
This was after the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Revocation Instrument, 2025, was enacted into law on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.
The L.I. 2462 granted the president the authority to allow mining activities in the country's forest reserves, following its delay in Parliament in October this year by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah.
However, with its revocation, President John Dramani Mahama, or any other Ghanaian president after him, will no longer hold such powers.
Source: YEN.com.gh
