The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has rejected allegations that its Chief Executive Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, endorsed illegal mining, describing a video circulating on social media as selectively edited and misleading.
In a statement issued on October 24, 2026, GoldBod said the video was taken from an engagement with artisanal and small-scale miners on March 23, 2026, but omitted the context of Mr Gyamfi’s remarks on the government’s plan to formalise eligible informal mining operators.
The Board explained that the policy is not intended to legitimise illegal mining but to bring eligible operators into a lawful, regulated and environmentally responsible system where they can be licensed, monitored and held accountable.
Media reports on the video said Mr Gyamfi suggested that some unlicensed miners should be helped to obtain licences rather than pursued by soldiers.
The Minority Caucus in Parliament has demanded his resignation or dismissal, an apology and sanctions. The caucus, through the Ranking Member of the Lands and Natural Resources Committee, Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, argued that the position attributed to Mr Gyamfi contradicts the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703). It has also called for an audit of GoldBod’s gold traceability records.
A coalition of civil society organisations, including A Rocha Ghana, also demanded a public retraction, insisting that mining should not take place without the required licence.
However, the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners has defended Mr Gyamfi, saying his remarks were taken out of context. The association said the comments were made during a programme it jointly organised with GoldBod at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology on March 23, 2026, attended by more than 1,500 mine owners.
In a post on X on October 23, Mr Gyamfi also stated that mining in water bodies, forest reserves, roadsides and school lands could not be tolerated. He maintained that formalising other unlicensed miners was preferable to chasing them with soldiers.
GoldBod outlines formalisation plans
GoldBod said the approach underpins its planned Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Formalisation and Financing Support Programme (FFSP), being pursued with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the University of Mines and Technology, and the Minerals Income Investment Fund, with technical support from Rand Refinery SA.
The programme aims to increase production, revenue and employment while reducing operating costs and environmental degradation. GoldBod said consultations with government agencies, miners’ associations and civil society groups had begun ahead of a planned rollout in 2027.
The Board is also working with the Ghana Geological Survey Authority on studies at Funsi and Bensere to help eliminate what it describes as “lottery mining”.
GoldBod further cited its support for the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), the funding of reclamation works covering 50 hectares in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve, and the procurement of a track-and-trace system as evidence of its efforts to address illegal mining.
“These are not the actions or policies of an institution that endorses illegal mining,” the statement said.
GoldBod cites legal mandate
The Board said its position is consistent with Section 3(1)(f) of the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140), which mandates it to promote the formalisation of small-scale mining through supply-chain sustainability.
The Act, assented to on April 2, 2025, establishes GoldBod as the sole buyer, seller, assayer and exporter of gold from the licensed artisanal and small-scale mining sector.
Story by Freedom Etsey Lavoe