Don’t Stop Me, OB Sammy Gyamfi Clashes With Afenyo again on Live Radio Over Gold Board And Cedi

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has maintained that his recent criticism of aspects of Ghana’s economic management was intended to promote transparency and accountability, not to launch personal attacks against public officials.

In an interview on Asempa FM, he explained that the Minority’s press conference was prompted by concerns arising from International Monetary Fund (IMF) reports. He said the opposition had a duty to examine the operations of state institutions and seek clarification on issues affecting public resources.

Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), disputed Afenyo-Markin’s arguments and defended the Gold Board during the same radio discussion.

Gyamfi rejected the criticism of the institution, describing the allegations as unsupported. He argued that the Gold Board was established to play an important role in managing Ghana’s gold resources and said accusations against it should be based on verifiable evidence.

The two politicians also disagreed over foreign exchange rates, particularly the difference between the Bank of Ghana’s reference rate and the rates charged by retail forex bureaux.

Afenyo-Markin questioned why customers could encounter rates that differed significantly from the central bank’s published figures. He said the discrepancies raised questions about the country’s economic management that deserved answers.

Gyamfi argued that the comparison was misleading because the rates serve different functions. According to him, the Bank of Ghana’s reference rate reflects activity in the interbank market, while forex bureaux determine their customer rates according to their operating costs and commercial margins.

The debate grew more confrontational, with Gyamfi accusing the Minority Leader of trying to undermine the Gold Board’s reputation. Afenyo-Markin rejected the accusation, insisting that questioning public institutions was a legitimate responsibility of the opposition.

The programme’s host, OB, faced difficulties moderating the discussion as both men continued to defend their respective positions.

The exchange highlights continuing disagreements between the NDC government and the NPP Minority over public financial management, economic policy and the role of state institutions.

Gyamfi maintained that the Gold Board should be permitted to focus on managing the country’s gold resources for national development. Afenyo-Markin, meanwhile, reiterated that all institutions entrusted with public assets must be prepared to explain their decisions and operations.

The discussion ended without either politician abandoning his position, underscoring the continuing political debate over Ghana’s economic management and institutional accountability.

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