Sammy Gyamfi says Ghana’s gold sector will become the backbone of a national economic reset, driven by tighter control, reduced leakages, and stronger foreign exchange inflows.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express Business Edition on Thursday, the Ghana Gold Board CEO described his appointment as both unexpected and deeply personal.

“It was an exciting call made by the president… The president, to some of us as a father figure, is not just a flagbearer. He’s not just our President, but somebody that I’ve enjoyed the father-son relationship with for some time now, and he’s a great visionary,” he said.

Sammy Gyamfi admitted many did not foresee his current role.

“Maybe many never expected that, upon winning power, I would find myself where I am… I’m sure many have predicted that I may have landed some communication-related job,” he noted.

But he believes the president saw something different.

“What he may see in you, you may not even have seen in yourself… the president, I think, saw something in me that many had not noticed at the time, and he decided to give me this opportunity.”

Now at the helm of a critical sector, Sammy Gyamfi says the mission is clear. Gold must drive Ghana’s economic transformation.

“Gold is very essential to the reset agenda of the President, because he believes that Ghana could have maximised national benefits and exerted its sovereignty over its good resources more than we have done since independence,” he said.

He stressed that the reset goes beyond mining. It includes trading and full value capture.

“He needed a certain urgency for his agenda of transformation, for not only the exploitation, but also the market and the trading of our good resources,” he explained.

Central to the plan is fixing long-standing inefficiencies.

“To ensure that we reset the sector and change the narrative of leakages, the narrative of low repatriation of FX,” he said.

Sammy Gyamfi insists the new direction will prioritise national control.

“Ensure that Ghanaians are in control, not only of the exploitation of our mineral resources, but also of the trading of same,” he added.

And the ultimate goal is clear—bring value back home.

“That the process from that trade is coming back into the economy to support the economy and to propel his transformation agenda for the country.”

Despite the scale of the task, Sammy Gyamfi remains reflective about his appointment.

“For me to have been given the opportunity was a rare privilege for which I am forever grateful to the president,” he said.

He says his focus now is performance.

“Every day when I wake up, my prayer is to work hard to justify the confidence he reposed in me and not to let him down.”