The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Ing. Kenneth Ashigbey, has commended the Ghana Gold Board (Goldbod) for instituting strict compliance measures that have helped curb the smuggling of gold and root out the main perpetrators (kingpins) behind the illegal gold trade in the country.
According to Ing. Ashigbey, the establishment of the Goldbod has not only contributed immensely to the stability of the economy but has also ensured a transparent gold trade system.
Speaking on TV3’s news analysis show Key Point, and confirming Goldbod CEO Sammy Gyamfi’s claim that the state agency has instituted robust reforms to sanitise the gold trade, Ing. Ashigbey said: “For me, one of the things Goldbod has been able to do well is to curb smuggling. So if they can also help prevent illegal gold from getting into the system, what will happen is that those people will not have demand, and it will kill their business.”
Ing. Ashigbey also praised the state-owned agency for not relenting on its enforcement protocols.
“If you talk about real enforcement, one of the institutions that has done enforcement in their area is the Goldbod. In terms of the smugglers, you see, when they catch anybody, they hit them hard. If in the fight against galamsey we emulate the way the Goldbod goes after people… and look at them, they are the ones catching the kingpins, they catch the big guys. So if we could do the same thing in tightening the loose ends, a lot of those people in the bush will stop because we won’t buy their gold anymore,” he stated.
Since its establishment, the Ghana Gold Board has been resolute in fighting gold smuggling.
The latest operation involved the arrest of an American citizen, Smart Philander; a Moroccan national, Nina Elfseky; and four Ghanaian accomplices — Nana Yaw Sarpong Boateng, Sowa Elisha, Evans Arhin, and Arnold Otutey — for engaging in illegal gold trading in Ghana without a licence.
The arrests took place at the SSNIT Emporium near Marina Mall in Accra after weeks of surveillance and intelligence operations by the Taskforce.
The suspects were caught attempting to buy and assay about 2.1 kilograms of gold valued at approximately GH¢2.2 million without the requisite licence, as mandated under the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140).
During the operation, the Taskforce also discovered gold refining equipment in the possession of the American suspect, confirming their intent to refine gold illegally within Ghana’s jurisdiction.
