Akufo-Addo signs Wild Life Act into law after 15 years

President Akufo-Addo has signed the Wildlife Resources Management Act, 2024 (Act 1115) into law. The bill was passed by Parliament in July 2023, 15 years after it was first laid before the 6th Parliament.

Lands and Natural Resource Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor revealed that President Akufo-Addo signed the bill into law on March 1, 2024. He said the new law will help the country to conform with existing policies and “provide for the implementation of international conventions on wildlife.”

“Among others, the new law brings Ghana’s wildlife law in conformity with existing policies in the sector and provides 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 offences, deterrent enough to protect our wildlife resources.”

“The law also provides for the implementation of several international wildlife conventions to which Ghana is a signatory, such as the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitats (RAMSAR), 1971, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, (CITES), 1973, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (BONN), 1979, as well as several indicators in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),