Samuel Abu Jinapor
The Wildlife Resources Management Act, 2024 (Act 1115) is now law. The bill was signed into law by
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The Act, which was sponsored by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and passed by Parliament on July 28, 2023, was assented to by the President on March 1, this year.
The Bill has been pending for over 15 years as it was previously laid before the fifth, sixth, and seventh Parliaments until it was eventually passed by the Eighth Parliament on July 28, 2023.
The Wildlife and protected areas were previously regulated by the Wild Animals Preservation Act, 1961 (Act 43), the Wildlife Conservation Regulations, 1971 (L.I. 685), and the Wildlife Reserves Regulations, 1971 (L.I. 710).
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, in reaction noted that it will boast the effective management of the country’s wildlife resources.
According to him, “The previous legislation, enacted over 50 years ago, was not in tune with current international best practices for wildlife protection and management and did not provide a proper legal framework for the implementation of the Forest and Wildlife Policy, 2012, the Forestry Development Master Plan (2016-2036), and other national and international frameworks that guide sustainable resource management, all of which were adopted years after these laws were passed’’.
He explained that the current act had addressed loopholes in the previous laws on wildlife management and also captured the emerging trends in the sector.
The Minister noted that those previous legislations did not clearly define the aims and objectives of wildlife management and the various categories of protected areas, aside from lacking deterrent sanctions for wildlife offenses.
He said among other things, Act 1115 had brought the country’s wildlife law in conformity with existing policies in the sector and provided for the implementation of international conventions on wildlife to which Ghana was a signatory.
However, Mr Jinapor assured members of the public that the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry was committed to the effective implementation of Act 1115.
He said strict compliance with the new law would ensure the efficient and progressive preservation and management of the wildlife resources of the country, adding that “This will be done in the spirit of transparency, anchored on integrity and utmost good faith for the benefit of the Ghanaian people’’.
-BY Daniel Bampoe