Sammy Gyamfi Makes Another Big Announcement

Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi has urged African governments to adopt a common strategy for managing the continent’s mineral resources to ensure that more of the wealth generated remains within Africa.

He argued that stronger collaboration among countries was necessary to address longstanding challenges in the mining industry and transform mineral production into sustainable economic growth.

Mr Gyamfi made the call on Monday, October 19, 2026, during the African Minerals Policy Forum at the Mining in Motion 2026 conference.

He observed that several African countries, including Ghana, were implementing policies aimed at improving control over their natural resources and increasing their contribution to national development.

He mentioned Burkina Faso, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Tanzania and Mozambique as countries pursuing initiatives to improve the management of their mineral sectors.

Nevertheless, he cautioned that producing large quantities of minerals would not automatically translate into prosperity unless African countries developed stronger systems to retain more of the resulting economic value.

The GoldBod chief executive urged the continent to prioritise local processing, manufacturing and industrial development rather than continuing to rely heavily on exporting raw materials.

He pointed to Ghana’s gold sector as an example of how deliberate government intervention could help formalise trading activities, encourage greater participation by local businesses and increase the share of mineral wealth retained in the domestic economy.

However, Mr Gyamfi noted that national policies alone would not be sufficient to address all the challenges confronting Africa’s mining industry.

He explained that mineral trading, illegal cross-border activities, investment flows, technology and supply chains extend beyond individual countries, making cooperation between governments increasingly important.

He therefore called for a continental agreement that would align national policies and establish a common direction for mineral governance and resource sovereignty.

According to him, African countries must take deliberate steps to increase local ownership, build strategic partnerships and ensure that the management of natural resources serves their long-term economic interests.

He stressed that the continent needed to move beyond extraction by investing more in refining, processing and manufacturing, which could create additional economic opportunities and strengthen domestic industries.

Mr Gyamfi maintained that a coordinated approach would help African countries secure greater returns from their mineral resources and ensure that the benefits of mining contribute more directly to the welfare of their populations.

His appeal places renewed emphasis on continental cooperation as African governments seek to strengthen control over their natural resources and capture a larger share of the value generated by the mining industry.

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