|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Former Member of Parliament for Anyaa Sowutuom, Dr. Dickson Adomako Kissi, has alleged that the Gold Board enables illegal mining activities in the country through weak oversight and poor regulatory enforcement.
He said the GoldBod is complicit because they buy gold from both illegal and legal miners.
Speaking on Breakfast Daily on Channel One TV, a private TV station in Accra on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, the former legislator alleged that the GoldBod, headed by Sammy Gyamfi, buys gold from which ever “criminal” brings him gold to buy, making the board enabler of galamsey.
Dr. Adomako Kissi expressed concern that the agency’s lack of transparency and accountability has created fertile ground for unlicensed miners to operate freely, especially in mining communities already suffering from environmental degradation.
“What Goldbod has is a huge amount from both small-scale mining and illegal mining, and he (Sammy Gyamfi) can’t argue anything because he is clueless as to where he is grabbing. He is grabbing from whichever criminal is bringing him gold; that is the situation
“As it stands now, if someone buys a machine from a thief, the police can still arrest the person for purchasing a stolen item, and he won’t go scot-free; the laws won’t allow him to go scot-free. Once you’re a complicit and I can say today on authority that Goldbod is complicit in the galamsey fight, and they are compromised,” he alleged
“The Gold Board, by its inaction and poor supervision, has become an enabler of illegal mining. Instead of protecting our natural resources, it is indirectly fueling their destruction,”
Dr. Adomako Kissi stated.
He further called for a thorough audit of the Board’s operations and urged the government to strengthen monitoring systems to ensure that mining licenses are issued and managed responsibly.
Environmental experts have also echoed similar sentiments, warning that continued negligence by regulatory bodies could worsen the damage to forests, rivers, and farmlands across the country.
Dr. Adomako Kissi emphasized that the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, requires not only strong laws but also integrity and accountability from state institutions mandated to regulate the sector.
—
Source: www.frontpageghana.com/Ghana
