Ghana Gold Board Rejects Allegations of Endorsing Illegal Mining

The Ghana Gold Board has rejected allegations that its chief executive endorsed illegal mining during an engagement with small-scale operators. The controversy stems from a viral social media video, prompting sharp criticism from advocacy groups and a formal petition to the Attorney-General on October 24, 2026.

The controversy centers on a viral video clip showing Ghana Gold Board Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi discussing the formalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining. Critics argue the remarks could encourage miners to operate without permits provided they avoid certain sensitive zones.

Public backlash was swift. The Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey filed a formal petition with the Attorney-General’s Office on October 24, 2026, demanding an investigation into whether the remarks legally constituted the abetment of illegal mining. The coalition also called for an immediate public retraction and an unqualified apology, citing severe penalties under mining laws. Referencing Section 99(2)(a) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as updated by Act 995 of 2019, the group emphasized that conducting mining activities without a ministerial permit constitutes an illegal act. In addition, the coalition pointed out that anyone who directs, encourages, hires, or assists others in performing illegal mining can face identical punishments to the unauthorized miner, consisting of fines from GH¢120,000 to GH¢180,000, prison terms lasting 15 to 25 years, or both sanctions together. Apart from these legal consequences, the coalition cautioned that the reported statements might leave agriculturalists and property owners vulnerable to territorial encroachment, leading to demands for the Ministry of National Security, the Ghana Police Service, and the Ministry of the Interior to enhance security for farmers and landowners while setting up rapid-response pathways for reporting land invasions.

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GoldBoard Defends Formalisation Strategy

GoldBoard officials pushed back against the accusations, asserting that the circulating video clip had been selectively edited to misrepresent the CEO’s actual message. Prince Kwame Minkah, the board’s head of communications, explained on Channel One TV that the remarks outlined a structured strategy to bring informal operators into a legal framework rather than condone unlawful excavation.

CEO has not endorsed small scale mining which is known in our parlance as galamsey. It is an illegality; all that he was seeking to put out there is a creative means in which we can draw them from that illegal space into a regulated Eco space.

Prince Kwame Minkah, Public Relations Officer and Head of Communications, GoldBoard

GoldBoard noted that its current approach aligns directly with Section 3(1)(f) of the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025, which received presidential assent on April 2, 2025. That legislation designates GoldBoard as the sole buyer, seller, assayer, and exporter of gold from the licensed small-scale sector. According to GoldBoard’s communications team, the institution’s ongoing bid for London Bullion Market Association certification requires strict adherence to responsible sourcing prerequisites that rule out support for illegal extraction. Gyamfi asserted that three specific forms of unlicensed activity are completely unacceptable and cannot be reformed: extraction that damages water resources, operations within forest reserves, and mining in hazardous or unsuitable community areas such as roadsides, school grounds, and residential zones.

Goldbod led by Sammy Gyamfi is not involved in Illegal mining (Galamsey) – PRO

Civil Society Opposition and Legal Demands

Elizabeth Vaah, leader of the Ghana Environmental Advocacy Group, criticized the proposed formalisation framework in a public statement, questioning how authorities intend to prevent operators from encroaching on burial grounds or private agricultural land.

Formalisation is not a blanket amnesty for illegal mining; it is a structured process for bringing eligible operators into the law, subject to licensing, environmental safeguards, training and regulatory oversight. That is what my CEO was seeking to put out.

Prince Kwame Minkah, Public Relations Officer and Head of Communications, GoldBoard

The legal framework cited by critics includes strict penalties for unauthorized operations. According to the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey, Section 99 of the Minerals and Mining Act establishes prison sentences between 15 and 25 years alongside substantial financial penalties for individuals engaging in or facilitating unlicensed mining.

Support Programs Target Sector Reform

GoldBoard continues to prepare structured initiatives aimed at transforming the small-scale mining sector. Plans are underway for an Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Formalisation and Financing Support Programme scheduled to roll out in 2027.

That upcoming initiative involves collaboration across multiple institutions, including the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the University of Mines and Technology, the Mineral Income Investment Fund, and technical backing from South Africa’s Rand Refinery. GoldBoard stated that the cooperative effort aims to increase mineral revenues and operational efficiency while addressing the severe environmental degradation historically associated with unregulated mining sites, following the presidential assent given to the Ghana Gold Board Act on April 2, 2025.