The Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy (IERPP) is demanding answers from the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) over reports that previously published quarterly trading reports are no longer readily accessible on its website.
The Institute says the reported removal goes beyond a website management issue and raises concerns about transparency, accountability and compliance with the law governing an institution responsible for a significant part of Ghana’s gold trade.
IERPP is therefore calling on GoldBod to explain who authorised the removal of the reports, when they were taken down, why they were removed, and whether any figures contained in them were subsequently changed.
“If the reports were removed, GoldBod must tell Ghanaians who authorised their removal, when they were removed, why they were removed, and whether any figures were subsequently changed,” the Institute said.
IERPP’s concerns centre on Section 42 of the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140), which requires GoldBod to publish quarterly reports on its activities for the purposes of transparency and accountability.
The reports are required to cover areas including the Board’s operations, revenue, contracts, expenditure, as well as responsible sourcing and traceability.
The Institute further points to Section 42(2), which requires GoldBod to ensure access to reports published under the provision.
IERPP argues that the requirement therefore goes beyond simply publishing a report and requires the information to remain meaningfully accessible to the public.
The Institute says the issue is particularly important because GoldBod itself requires market participants to comply with reporting obligations.
“If reporting is important enough for GoldBod to enforce against private operators, why should Ghanaians struggle to access GoldBod’s own reports?” it asked.
IERPP says public access to the reports is necessary for citizens and Parliament to scrutinise transactions involving Ghana’s gold resources and public finances.
It argues that the reports should provide information that allows the public to understand transactions, prices, contracts, fees, discounts, trading margins and the risks and costs associated with the gold purchasing programme.
According to IERPP, GoldBod’s second-quarter statutory report, covering April to June 2025, provided significant information on the Board’s operations.
The report disclosed that GoldBod purchased 26,009.56 kilogrammes of gold, equivalent to about 780,437.60 ounces, from the artisanal and small-scale mining sector at an estimated value of US$2.62 billion.
It also reported that artisanal and small-scale mining gold exports totalled 30,361.64 kilogrammes, valued at approximately US$2.99 billion.
IERPP says the disappearance of such reports could limit the public’s ability to track GoldBod’s operations and compare information released at different periods.
The issue comes amid growing scrutiny of GoldBod and Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme.
IERPP has previously called for a consolidated financial account of the programme following concerns over a reported US$1.7 billion loss associated with the initiative.
The Institute says such an account would allow Parliament and the public to establish how much was spent, what Ghana received in return and whether the programme ultimately generated a net benefit for the country.
The Institute is calling on GoldBod to restore all previously published quarterly reports and establish a permanent public archive.
It is also demanding that the Board:
- Explain any deletion, withdrawal, amendment or replacement of previously published reports;
- Publish original and revised versions where figures have changed, together with explanations for material changes;
- Provide the publication and removal dates for each report; and
- Ensure information required under Section 42 remains publicly accessible.
IERPP is further calling for greater disclosure of off-taker fees, trading margins, discounts, assay charges and other transaction costs to enable independent scrutiny.
The concerns come as GoldBod continues to implement reforms to Ghana’s gold purchasing and trading framework.
The Board recently said it had raised nearly US$839 million in advances for gold purchases between March and May 2026.
It has also introduced changes to the gold purchasing system, including a new pricing regime, purchase thresholds and mandatory real-time transaction reporting requirements.
GoldBod was established in April 2025 under the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140), with responsibility for aggregating, assaying and exporting gold produced by licensed artisanal and small-scale mining operators.
IERPP says given the scale of GoldBod’s mandate and the public resources involved, access to statutory reports must not be treated as a discretionary matter.
“Publish the reports. Restore the archive. Explain every deletion. Open the books,” the Institute said.
It insists that transparency is a statutory obligation rather than a favour to the Ghanaian public.
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