EPA Cracks Down: Manufacturers Face 5-10 Years Jail Under New Environmental Law

EPA Cracks Down: Manufacturers Face 5-10 Years Jail Under New Environmental Law

By DailyWatchGH News Desk

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has intensified its enforcement drive under the newly enacted Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124), sensitising about 20 manufacturing firms in Ejisu on strict compliance requirements, warning that violations could attract prison terms ranging from five to ten years.

The engagement forms part of the Authority’s broader strategy to strengthen regulatory compliance and enhance oversight of environmental practices across the country. It also seeks to empower the EPA to review and revoke approvals in environmentally sensitive areas that pose risks to public health.

Addressing participants at the opening session, the Ashanti Regional Director of the EPA, Dr. Jackson Adiyiah Nyantakyi, described Act 1124 as a landmark reform in Ghana’s environmental governance framework.

According to him, the previous legislation, the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1994 (Act 490), had become inadequate in addressing emerging challenges such as waste management, pesticide control, and climate change.

He therefore urged manufacturers to align their operations and planning processes with the provisions of the new law to ensure sustainable environmental management.

Dr. Nyantakyi further outlined the sanctions under the Act, stressing that failure to pay an administrative penalty constitutes an offence punishable upon summary conviction by a fine of not less than 5,500 penalty units and not more than 15,000 penalty units, or a custodial sentence of between five and ten years, or both.

“Under Section 37 of the Act, any individual who obstructs a public officer in the lawful execution of their duties commits an offence and may face a fine ranging from 500 to 1,000 penalty units, or a prison term of one to two years, or both,” he stated.

He emphasised that the sensitisation exercise was necessary to educate stakeholders and prevent further breaches, noting that several individuals have already fallen foul of the law since its introduction.

The Ejisu EPA Director, Joseph Amoako Addai, also took participants through cleaner production principles.

He explained that cleaner production is a proactive and integrated strategy that promotes efficiency while reducing risks to human health and the environment by preventing waste and pollution at the source, rather than managing them after they are created.