GoldBod is the cause of the environmental destruction we are seeing – NPP

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) of creating loopholes in the gold-buying system that allow gold produced through illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, to enter the formal trading chain.

The opposition party claims GoldBod’s purchasing arrangements do not provide adequate mechanisms to distinguish gold sourced from licensed mining operations from that produced through illegal mining.

Speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, NPP National Organiser Henry Nana Boakye alleged that the state-owned gold-buying institution was contributing to the environmental destruction associated with illegal mining.

“GoldBod, I can tell you now, is the cause of the environmental destruction we are seeing. They are now responsible for galamsey,” he said.

Mr Boakye questioned how GoldBod verifies the origins of gold purchased through its licensed buyers, arguing that weaknesses in the traceability system could enable illegally mined gold to be channelled into the formal market.

He said concerns over the sources of gold purchased by GoldBod had also been raised by stakeholders in the mining industry, including the Ghana Chamber of Mines and some Members of Parliament.

“If GoldBod is not buying galamsey gold, then who is?” he asked, challenging the authorities to provide greater clarity on how gold purchased by the institution is sourced and verified.

The NPP National Organiser also criticised what he described as repeated assurances that measures were being developed to strengthen gold traceability, arguing that the concerns surrounding the sourcing of gold remained unresolved.

He therefore called for greater transparency in GoldBod’s gold purchasing operations, particularly the systems and procedures used to verify the origin of gold entering the formal trading chain.