Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, has quizzed the John Dramani Mahama–led NDC government over gold produced by illegal miners, popularly known as galamsey operators.
According to Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the new Gold Trading Act grants GoldBod the exclusive legal authority to export gold from Ghana.
Oppong Nkrumah argued that the reported surge in small-scale gold output, despite intensified anti-galamsey efforts, raises serious concerns about the destination of illegally mined gold.
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah noted that GoldBod has publicly denied buying gold from illegal miners; however, the critical question remains unanswered.
Speaking in an interview with Akwasi Nsiah, host of Badwam on Adom TV,
“If GoldBod is not buying galamsey gold, then who is buying it? With galamsey still ongoing and assurances of tight security against gold smuggling, the question still stands,” he stressed. “Who is buying the gold from the galamseyers?”
However, Sammy Gyamfi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), last year clarified that the Goldbod is not in the market buying galamsey gold.
The CEO explained that licensed private individuals make the purchases of gold, not GoldBod.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Sammy Gyamfi explained, “To create the impression that nobody was buying galamsey gold and all of a sudden GoldBod is now giving it a market is clearly wrong”.
“There has always been a market for gold anywhere in the world, including Ghana. Have we ever woken up to any news that there is stranded gold in Ghana? There’s always demand,” he said.
He detailed, “Gold Board itself is not on the market buying gold. These licensed buyers are not stationed at mining sites. They sit in their offices, mostly in district and regional capitals, and buy gold brought to them. They have no technology or system to tell whether the gold was mined responsibly or not”.
“It is this five-month-old corporation called Gold Board that has now been given the mandate to find a solution to that problem. You think we can find a solution in five months to a problem that has existed for decades?” he asked.
Sammy Gyamfi further revealed Goldbod’s plans for next year, “By next year, we will commence the rollout of this system. Licensed miners will have to seal and scan their gold with unique codes so buyers can know exactly where it is coming from. Aggregators will also have to trace the origin even after melting.
Currently, because small-scale gold is not traceable, we are limited to markets in Dubai, Hong Kong, India, and Turkey. With traceability, we can access LBMA refineries in Switzerland and China, where prices are higher.
“People are having the wrong impression that Gold Board is in the market buying galamsey gold. Nothing of that sort is happening,” he said.
Sammy Gyamfi, also quizzed critics, claiming the GoldBod is responsible for promoting illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
The Goldbod CEO quizzed how a five-month-old Goldbod could be responsible for an age-long galamsey problem?
Sammy Gyamfi explained, “Let me clear some misconceptions that GoldBod is promoting galamsey. And my simple question to them is how can a five-month-old statutory corporation, GoldBod, be responsible for an age-long galamsey problem?”
“Galamsey has been with us for decades. Last year, there was no GoldBod, but we saw a lot of protests against galamsey because galamsey has reached unprecedented and alarming levels. So how can you say that a corporation that was established barely five months ago is the one to blame for galamsey?” he added.
See the post below:
🇬🇭 “If GoldBod Is Not Buying Galamsey Gold, Then Who Is?”
— CDR AFRICA (@cdrafrica) February 11, 2026
Ofoase Ayirebi MP Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has questioned the Mahama-led government over who is purchasing gold from illegal miners, following GoldBod’s insistence that it does not buy directly from galamsey operators but… pic.twitter.com/a52VQOUeE6