Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has raised concerns about the structure of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), arguing that the current system does not sufficiently distinguish legally mined gold from gold linked to illegal mining.

Speaking during an engagement with the Christian Council, Mr Afenyo-Markin questioned the regulatory framework governing GoldBod and gold aggregators, warning that the absence of clear distinctions could create incentives for galamsey.

“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 also warned about the environmental consequences of illegal mining, particularly the threat to Ghana’s forests and water bodies. He singled out the Atewa Forest as an area that could face further degradation if stronger measures are not taken.

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

The Minority Leader further raised concerns about the increasing cost of treating contaminated water, saying the scale of pollution was affecting the ability of some water treatment plants to operate effectively.

“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.

He called for stronger oversight of gold trading and aggregation to ensure that efforts to formalise the gold sector do not undermine the broader fight against illegal mining.