By Julian Owusu-Abedi
A heated media showdown erupted over the weekend after IMANI Africa’s Vice-President, Kofi Bentil, accused the Ghana Gold Board (Goldbod) of sourcing its gold from illegal miners, a claim that drew a fierce rebuttal from Sammy Gyamfi(Esq.) the Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Ghana Goldbod.
Appearing on TV3’s Key Points programme, Mr. Bentil alleged that “85 percent of gold bought by Goldbod comes from galamsey operators.” But Gyamfi, who called into the show, dismissed the statement as “a reckless fabrication unworthy of public discourse.”
“That statement is totally false,” Gyamfi fired back. “Goldbod is a creature of law, established under Act 1140 of 2025, and we are mandated by Parliament to buy gold only from licensed miners and not galamseyers.”
The CEO stated that Goldbod currently purchases 20 percent of production from Ghana’s seven major large-scale mining companies, while the rest comes from over 2,000 licensed small-scale miners vetted through the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners and the Concerned Small-Scale Miners Association.
“Goldbod does not and will never deal with illegal miners. Every ounce we buy is from a verified, legal source,” he declared.
Sammy Gyamfi accused Bentil of “playing politics with facts” and challenged him to back his claims with evidence.
“Where was Kofi Bentil when his political ally Bawumia launched the Gold-for-Oil and Gold-for-Forest programmes in 2022?” Gyamfi shot back. “He never asked where that gold came from. But now that there’s a legal, transparent structure, he’s suddenly a crusader?”
The Goldbod boss explained that his outfit has gone further to ensure full transparency by introducing a digital “track-and-trace” system, as mandated under Section 31X of the Goldbod Act. The system, which goes live in the first quarter of next year, will enable authorities to trace every gram of gold bought in Ghana to its original mine.
“For the first time in Ghana’s history, we’ll have a system that tracks every gram of gold from mine to vault,” Gyamfi said. “That’s accountability, not galamsey.”
He urged the media to demand accuracy and responsibility from commentators, warning that misinformation about Ghana’s gold sector “hurts both the industry and the country’s reputation.”
“We are building a transparent gold economy, not a rumour factory,” Gyamfi concluded.
The fiery exchange between the Goldbod CEO and the IMANI vice-president has reignited debate about truth, politics, and integrity in Ghana’s gold sector and the gloves are clearly off.
