We Did Not Endorse Galamsey, CEO’s Comments Was Twisted – GoldBod Sends Strong Message To Critics

The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has strongly rejected claims that its Chief Executive Officer, Sammy Gyamfi Esq., has endorsed illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

In an official statement issued on Friday, October 24, 2026, the Board described the viral video circulating on social media as deliberately edited and misleading.

According to GoldBod, the video excerpt was taken from a programme jointly organised by GoldBod and the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) on March 23, 2026, at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), which focused on formalising artisanal and small-scale mining.

The Board clarified that at no point did Mr. Gyamfi endorse galamsey, stressing that illegal mining remains an illegality.

What the CEO advocated was a creative and sustainable means of moving miners operating illegally into a regulated, environmentally compliant space, the statement said.

GoldBod further explained that formalisation does not mean blanket amnesty for illegal miners. 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, it added.

The Board emphasised that any operator whose activities affect water bodies, forest reserves, roadsides, schools or residential areas declared red zones cannot be formalised.

Meanwhile, GoldBod has announced the commencement of consultations on its Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) Formalisation and Financing Support Program in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT).

The program will provide licensing support, skills training and financing to help eligible operators become responsible, law-abiding miners, in line with GoldBod’s mandate under Act 1140.

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