GoldBod Fueling Galamsey Crisis – NPP Alleges

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has blamed the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) for the worsening illegal mining menace in the country.

According to the opposition party, the state gold trading agency’s purchasing model has created a ready market for illegally mined gold, making it difficult to curb galamsey.

At a press conference on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, NPP National Organiser, Henry Nana Boakye, said GoldBod lacks the systems to differentiate between gold produced by licensed small-scale miners and gold from illegal operations.

"GoldBod, I can tell you now, is the cause of the environmental destruction we are seeing. They are now responsible for galamsey," Nana Boakye alleged.

He questioned the traceability of gold bought by GoldBod through its licensed aggregators and buyers, arguing that without a robust verification mechanism, galamsey gold could easily be absorbed into the formal trading chain.

Mr. Boakye noted that similar concerns have been raised by key industry players, including the Ghana Chamber of Mines and some Members of Parliament, about the source of gold being purchased by the state entity.

"If GoldBod is not buying galamsey gold, then who is?" he quizzed, demanding that government comes clean on how the origin of gold purchased by GoldBod is verified.

He described as unsatisfactory repeated assurances by GoldBod that traceability systems were being developed, insisting that after months of operations, Ghanaians deserve clear and transparent answers on how the agency ensures that state funds are not being used to incentivize environmental destruction.

The NPP is therefore calling for full transparency in GoldBod’s operations and a public disclosure of its gold sourcing and verification protocols.