Alexander Afenyo-Markin is the Minority Leader in Parliament
The Minority in Parliament has raised concerns that the establishment of GoldBod as both a regulator and operator in the gold sector is inadvertently fuelling illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Monday, January 26, 2025, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin said that while the opposition is not against the government’s Gold-for-Reserves policy, since it was initiated under their administration, the current GoldBod arrangement undermines efforts to curb galamsey.
“Our water bodies are being polluted. Organised Labour has already sounded the alarm, indicating that galamsey activities have worsened. This government has failed to provide evidence of its commitment to the fight against galamsey. It is clear they are more focused on public relations gimmicks and optics rather than substance,” Afenyo-Markin stated.
He further questioned GoldBod’s ability to distinguish between legally mined gold and gold sourced from illicit operations.
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According to Afenyo-Markin, GoldBod focuses largely on publicising its success stories and the quantities of gold it has purchased, without adequately addressing concerns about the sources of the gold.
The Minority insists that without clear safeguards, the government’s approach risks legitimising illegal mining, worsening environmental degradation, and undermining the broader fight against galamsey.
It will be recalled that GoldBod recently announced that its nationwide clampdown on illegal gold trading resulted in the recovery of GH¢3,036,990.00 in cash.
This was contained in its third-quarter report for 2025.
The intensified operations also uncovered large sums of foreign currency, including US dollars, CFA francs, and Moroccan dirhams.
Officials seized several items linked to unregulated gold-trading networks, including gold doré, gold dust, mercury, firearms, mobile phones, and forged documents.
Additionally, GoldBod aggregated 26,153.98 kilograms of gold from the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) sector, valued at US$2.76 billion, as part of efforts to formalise and strengthen the ASM value chain.
SA/MA
