The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has criticized the newly established Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), describing it as a potential “national liability cloaked in noble intentions.”
According to Afenyo-Markin, the initiative is likely to enrich illegal miners and politically connected individuals, rather than serving the nation’s interests.
“If we care about our natural resources, then we must design systems that are abuse-proof and environmentally sustainable. GoldBod, in its current form, fails that basic test,” Afenyo-Markin stated.
In an interview on Joy FM, Afenyo-Markin expressed concerns that the GoldBod, in its current form, is a program that could be a potential “national liability cloaked in noble intentions.”
He argued that the government’s attempt to formalize small-scale mining and curb the illegal gold trade would backfire without proper institutional guardrails to prevent exploitation and mismanagement.
“This whole idea of GoldBod is not in the national interest. We’ve seen similar schemes in the past. They start off with grand rhetoric and end up in the hands of galamseyers and politically-connected individuals,” he said.
Afenyo-Markin warned that without strict regulation and independent scrutiny, GoldBod risks becoming another conduit for illegal mining and resource capture.
“How do you say you’re combating galamsey and, at the same time, launch a programme that could easily be hijacked by the very actors destroying our environment?” he questioned.
“Without strict regulation and independent scrutiny, GoldBod risks becoming another conduit for illegal mining and resource capture. It could easily mirror previous schemes that became riddled with corruption,” he warned.
The Minority Leader urged the government to halt the current implementation and conduct a full-scale review involving industry experts, environmental advocates, and civil society stakeholders. “This whole idea… will backfire spectacularly,” Afenyo-Markin emphasized.
The Ghana Gold Board was established under Act 1140 to regulate, buy, sell, assay, refine, and export gold and other precious minerals, replacing the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC).
However, Afenyo-Markin believes that the initiative, as it stands, could have disastrous consequences for the environment and the nation’s resources.