Environmental Protection Laws in Ghana date back to Ghana’s colonial era. The laws, then, were mostly related to disease prevention and control. And they were often enforced in the bigger towns where government officers and factories were located. For example, one of the earliest laws on our statute books is the Beaches Obstruction Ordinance (Cap 240) of 29th January 1897. After independence, several laws were passed to help the young nation develop its industrial capability.

Environmental Protection, however, became topical in Ghana after the 1972 Stockholm Convention. This led to the establishment of the EPC in 1974 it was later transformed to the Environmental Protection Agency in 1994.
The environmental laws that are enforced by the EPA are:

ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS:
The 1992 constitution of the 4th Republic in chapter six specifically article 41 (k) enjoins the citizens of Ghana to protect and safeguard the environment. This is for both employers and employees of Ghana. It is therefore not out of place that parliament passed the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1994.

Environmental Protection Agency Act (Act 490)
The Act which is in three parts established the Agency and listed its functions

Pesticides Control and Management Act 1996 (Act 528)
The third statute of the EPA but not a very well known one is the Pesticides Control and Management Act, 1996, (Act 528). This law deals with pesticide importation licencing and permitting procedures, sale … 

 

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