Annoh-Dompreh pushes for ecocide law in Ghana, urges Parliament to criminalize environmental destruction

Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has called on the legislature to enact strong laws criminalising environmental destruction, urging the country to recognise ecocide as a punishable offence under national and international law.

Speaking on the floor of the Parliament, the lawmaker stressed that the destruction of ecosystems poses a serious threat to the country’s economic future, food security, and public health, and must therefore be addressed through stronger legal mechanisms.

According to him, the issue goes beyond partisan politics and short-term development policies, describing the protection of the environment as a national responsibility that requires urgent legislative action.

Ecocide, he explained, refers to acts that cause severe, widespread, or long-term environmental damage. The concept, developed by legal experts convened by the environmental advocacy group Stop Ecocide International, defines ecocide as unlawful or reckless acts committed with the knowledge that they are likely to cause serious environmental harm.

Unlike existing environmental regulations that rely mainly on fines or administrative sanctions, he noted that criminalising ecocide would impose direct legal accountability on individuals, corporations, and state actors responsible for large-scale ecological destruction.

Annoh-Dompreh pointed out that international law currently recognises four major crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court—genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.

However, environmental devastation has not yet been recognised as a standalone international crime during peacetime, a gap he described as a “legal vacuum” that allows severe ecological destruction to occur with limited criminal consequences.

To illustrate the global consequences of environmental neglect, the MP cited the case of the Niger Delta in Nigeria, where more than 7,000 oil spills between 1970 and 2000 severely damaged water bodies, farmland, and human health. Environmental experts estimate that full ecological restoration in the region could take decades, demonstrating the long-term impact of large-scale environmental destruction.

He noted that global momentum is growing to close this legal gap, with several countries already incorporating ecocide-related offences into their domestic laws. Nations including Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Ecuador, Chile, France, and Belgium have enacted legal provisions addressing severe environmental destruction. Belgium, in particular, became the first European Union country to formally criminalise ecocide in 2023 through revisions to its penal code.

Other countries such as Brazil, Mexico, the Netherlands, Italy, Argentina, India, Peru, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are currently considering similar legislative proposals.

According to Annoh-Dompreh, Ghana has compelling reasons to adopt such legislation. The country continues to face environmental threats from deforestation, illegal mining—commonly known as galamsey—and widespread water pollution. Recent reports indicate that nearly 60 percent of Ghana’s water bodies have been affected by pollution linked to illegal mining activities, raising serious concerns about public health, agricultural productivity, and long-term environmental sustainability.

Beyond environmental protection, the MP argued that recognising ecocide as a crime would reinforce a moral framework within the legal system, affirming that the destruction of ecosystems is morally and legally unacceptable.

He explained that environmental stability underpins food security, human health, and sustainable economic growth, making its protection a duty owed to future generations.

He also highlighted the potential for Ghana to take a leadership role in Africa on environmental justice, pointing to developments such as the Democratic Republic of Congo’s endorsement of ecocide as an international crime during the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference.

According to him, Ghana could similarly champion stronger environmental protections at continental and global platforms, including the African Union and the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment.

To achieve this goal, Annoh-Dompreh recommended several legislative steps, including the introduction of a domestic law defining and criminalising ecocide with clear legal thresholds for environmental harm.

He further urged Ghana to advocate internationally for the recognition of ecocide as the fifth international crime under the Rome Statute, enabling prosecution of the most severe environmental destruction at the global level.

Additionally, he called for stronger enforcement mechanisms within Ghana’s environmental protection institutions and judicial system, as well as penalties that include custodial sentences, financial sanctions for corporations, and mandatory environmental restoration measures.

The Minority Chief Whip concluded by emphasising that protecting ecosystems is not optional but a fundamental obligation to future generations. He commended the government for proposing the creation of a national crime of ecocide as part of recommendations contained in the Constitutional Review Committee report, Transforming Ghana: From Electoral Democracy to Developmental Democracy, and urged swift progress in enacting the necessary legislation to safeguard the environment and economic future.