‘GoldBod’s structure encouraging galamsey, buys whatever aggregators bring’ – Afenyo-Markin

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has raised concerns about the operations of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), arguing that its current regulatory framework could inadvertently create incentives for illegal mining.

According to the Effutu MP, GoldBod does not sufficiently differentiate between gold obtained through lawful mining activities and gold produced through galamsey before it enters the formal trading system.

He made the remarks during an engagement with the Christian Council, where he questioned the regulations governing GoldBod and gold aggregators.

“The way GoldBod has been structured, it is rather encouraging the illegal mining activities we have in our country. Because you see, currently GoldBod does not have a regulation that draws a distinction between regularly mined gold and galamsey gold. So it is like whatever the aggregators bring, we will buy. But are there some regulations to guide aggregators? Now, everybody is mining. Galamsey has gotten out of hand,” he said.

Mr Afenyo-Markin warned that the continued destruction caused by illegal mining could have lasting consequences for Ghana’s environment, particularly the country’s forest reserves and water resources.

He singled out the Atewa Forest as an area that could face severe consequences if illegal mining is not effectively addressed.

“If we are not careful, Atewa forest will not be there for us again,” he warned.

Beyond the destruction of forests, the Minority Leader said the contamination of water bodies was also creating serious challenges for Ghana’s water treatment sector.

Drawing on his experience as a former chairman of the Ghana Water Limited Board, he said the increasing pollution of water sources was not only making water treatment more expensive but was also affecting the ability of some treatment plants to operate.

“I once chaired the Ghana Water Limited Board. The report coming from Ghana Water is that not only is it becoming more expensive to treat the water, but the extent of contamination of our water bodies is such that some treatment plant cannot even function,” he said.

Mr Afenyo-Markin’s concerns come against the backdrop of continued debate over the environmental consequences of illegal mining and the measures required to curb galamsey.

He called for stronger regulatory controls around gold aggregation and trading to ensure that the formal gold market does not undermine efforts to combat illegal mining.