GoldBod is most likely buying galamsey gold and that’s problematic — Kojo Yankson

Ghanaian broadcaster Kojo Yankson has raised concerns about the likelihood of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) buying gold sourced from illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

According to him, President John Dramani Mahama admitted to the possibility during his media encounter on Wednesday, September 10.

The revelation, the journalist said, raises troubling questions about how the state agency differentiates between legally and illegally mined gold.

Speaking on Accra-based JoyNews, on Thursday, where he joined colleague journalists to analyse the President’s engagement, Yankson argued that such an admission presents a major challenge to the government’s anti-galamsey fight.

“For me, the most important issue was about the gold board. I was curious about whether or not gold board even knew the difference between legal and illegal gold when it comes to their purchases.

“The President actually admitted that, well, even if they are buying illegal gold, at least it means that the money is coming to government… right in there was an admission that indeed, the gold board is most likely buying galamsey gold. That’s problematic for many reasons,” he said.

Acknowledging the President’s honesty, Yankson stressed that it does not take away the problematic nature of such a practice as it could be interpreted as legitimising illegal mining.

Meanwhile, the President’s media encounter has since drawn sharp criticism from several voices.

Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni in a social media post on Wednesday said he felt “hopeless” in the fight against galamsey after listening to Mr. Mahama.

On his part, anti-galamsey campaigner and JoyNews journalist Erastus Asare Donkor in a similar post on Thursday also accused the President of displaying complicity and a lack of seriousness in tackling the menace.