The Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has questioned the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, over his outfit’s gold purchases.

During The Key Points program aired on TV3 on October 11, 2025, Bentil alleged that 85% of GoldBod’s gold purchases come from illegal mining activities, locally known as galamsey.

The IMANI Vice President argued that the practice undermines the nation’s efforts to combat galamsey, which is why he declined to honor President John Dramani Mahama’s invitation to meet with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).

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“We continue to buy gold from illegal miners who constitute 85% of small-scale miners, and yet we claim we are fighting galamsey. When I declined to attend the president’s meeting with civil society organisations, I posted my suggestions on Facebook. One is that we should dismiss all DCEs whose areas have galamsey operations. If I don’t see DCEs being sacked, I will not believe President Mahama is serious about fighting galamsey,” he stressed.

During the discussion, Sammy Gyamfi called into the program to rebut the claims, clarifying that GoldBod purchases gold only from licensed small-scale miners.

He stated that Kofi Bentil’s claims are spurious and should be disregarded by the public, as the government remains committed to the fight against illegal mining.

“GoldBod doesn’t buy gold from illegal miners. We only deal with licensed small-scale miners. GoldBod does not buy gold directly from small-scale miners,” Gyamfi said.

Meanwhile, the Minister in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, also emphasised the government’s commitment to sourcing gold responsibly.

“There is no government policy to purchase gold from illegal miners. If for nothing at all, the international community is very interested in the source of our gold,” he assured.

The galamsey menace has become a major talking point in the country, as pressure mounts on the government to declare a state of emergency.

SB/MA

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