EPA Ghana · Decision Support Pilot

Faster, auditable scoping under L.I. 2504

A decision-support platform for the Environmental Protection Authority of Ghana — compresses the statutory 25-day screening clock and 25-day scoping clock into a single auditable workflow. Officers see the regulatory pathway, the spatial environmental profile, and the plausibility cross-check on one screen.

Regulatory pathway from L.I. 2504 First Schedule
13-indicator spatial environmental profile
Plausibility cross-check with sourced benchmarks
Auto-generated scoping topics for the EIS

Four steps from intake to scoping output

An EPA officer (or an EIA consultant working with EPA) completes the workflow on a single screen.

1

Locate the project

Search a place name, paste coordinates (decimal, DMS, UTM, or Google Maps URL), or pin the site directly on the map. Satellite and hybrid layers available.

2

Capture project details

Sector, sub-type, scale, and other dimensions drive the regulatory pathway. Sector-specific fields prevent under-declaration.

3

See the merged verdict

Regulatory pathway from L.I. 2504, spatial environmental profile from 13 indicators, plausibility flags from industry benchmarks — all on one card with full legal citations.

4

Auto-generate scoping topics

Every red or amber spatial finding generates a scoping topic for the EIS/EMP, linked to the relevant agency (FC, WRC, GRIDCo, Ghana Highways Authority). The officer signs the case off with a full audit trail.

What the Platform composes for the officer

Three layers of analysis, every screening, every site.

Regulatory pathway

From L.I. 2504 First Schedule, Act 1124, and Act 1080 fee schedule. Determines requires_eia / requires_registration / requires_sea with full legal citations and indicative fee bands.

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Spatial environmental profile

13 indicators evaluated at the project location: flood, wetland, river corridor, protected area, road setback, slope, seismic, soil, infrastructure, HT electricity ROW, coastal erosion, contamination, groundwater.

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Plausibility cross-check

Detects physically impossible declarations and order-of-magnitude scale mismatches (e.g. cement plant footprint too small for declared production). Tier-1 today; full benchmark engine in development.

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Scoping topics for the EIS

Every red or amber finding auto-generates a scoping topic the EIS or EMP must address — linked to the responsible agency.

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HT electricity ROW

Statutory right-of-way under L.I. 1737 (1967 / 2004) — flags any project inside the 15 m corridor for 161 kV lines or 20 m for 330 kV. The only tool in Ghana that surfaces GRIDCo ROW conflicts at screening time.

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Officer audit trail

Every decision is hash-signed with the inputs, rule version, data version, and officer signature. Defensible in court and before Parliament.

Who uses the Platform

EPA officers run screenings; consultants prepare submissions; proponents understand what scoping topics their EIS must cover.

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EPA officers

Primary users. Run screenings, assign cases, sign off decisions, monitor the 25/90-day statutory clocks, and track post-permit EMP submissions.

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EIA consultants

Pre-screen client projects before EPA submission; use auto-generated scoping topics to scope the EIS or EMP; submit completed scoping reports through the Platform for reconciliation.

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Project proponents

Understand which permits apply, what baseline surveys are required, and what scoping topics the EIS must address — before engaging a consultant.

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Inter-agency referrals

FC, WRC, Minerals Commission, Ghana Highways Authority, GRIDCo — referrals auto-routed when a project's spatial profile triggers their jurisdiction.

Anchored in Ghana's environmental and planning law

Every decision in the Platform is traceable to a statutory provision.

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Environmental Protection Authority (Act 1124, 2025)

The Authority issues environmental permits under Act 1124 (2025) and the Environmental Assessment Regulations, 2025 (L.I. 2504). Statutory clocks: 25 days for screening, 25 days for scoping review, 90 days total decision.

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Water Resources Commission (Act 522, 1996)

Riparian buffer policy 10–100 m by stream order. WRC licensing for water abstraction, river setbacks, and discharge. Wetland delineation triggers when SafeGround flags wetland proximity.

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Forestry Commission (Act 571)

Forest reserves and off-reserve areas. Clearance required for any project in or adjacent to a Forestry Commission gazetted area.

Ghana Grid Company (L.I. 542 / L.I. 1737)

Transmission Line Protection Regulations. Construction prohibited within 15 m of a 161 kV line or 20 m of a 330 kV line. The Platform flags ROW conflicts before submission.

Decision support, not Authority determination

This platform is decision-support software for the Environmental Protection Authority of Ghana. It does not issue environmental permits, does not constitute a determination by the Authority, and does not replace the statutory functions of EPA officers, the Director-General, or the Board.

Every output is advisory. The legal force of any environmental decision derives solely from the Authority's formal act under Act 1124 (2025) and L.I. 2504 (2025).

The Platform composes data from EIAfinder (regulatory pathway engine) and SafeGround (spatial environmental screening). Third-party datasets may contain inaccuracies or be outdated. Findings should be verified by the responsible officer before any permit decision.

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