Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, has dismissed claims that the newly established body is promoting illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

“Let me clear some misconceptions that GoldBod is promoting galamsey. And my simple question to them is how can a five-month-old statutory corporation, GoldBod, be responsible for an age-long galamsey problem?”

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, which discussed the government’s commitment to fighting galamsey, Mr Gyamfi said it was wrong to blame GoldBod for a problem that has troubled the country for many years.

He explained that galamsey existed long before GoldBod and had already reached worrying levels before the company was set up.

“Galamsey has been with us for decades. Last year there was no GoldBod, but we saw a lot of protest against galamsey because galamsey has reached unprecedented and alarming levels. So how can you say that a corporation that was established barely five months ago is the one to blame for galamsey?” he added.

Mr Gyamfi stressed that GoldBod’s role is clearly defined in law to promote sustainable and environmentally friendly mining, not to take over the statutory fight against galamsey.

“GoldBod was established to promote sustainability initiatives and environmentally friendly mining practices. If you look at section 31G and H of the GoldBod Act, we have that function. So GoldBod is rather supposed to come and support the fight,” he said.

According to him, the direct mandate to combat illegal mining lies with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and its allied agencies.

“We don’t have that mandate, the mandate is that of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and their allied agencies. They have that statutory obligation to fight galamsey. But in stipulating our functions, Parliament said, GoldBod, since you will be in that space, you should support the fight,” he explained.

Highlighting the corporation’s achievements so far, Mr Gyamfi said GoldBod has already made a difference within its short existence. “And in less than five months since our establishment, we’ve done what no institution in Ghana has done,” he noted.

He pointed to the corporation’s direct support to the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat, which was set up as a central coordinating body to strengthen the fight.

“This national anti-illegal mining operation secretariat which was formed to be a multisectorial central coordinating body for this galamsey fight, for us to optimise resources, they didn’t have money, they didn’t have vehicles.

"In less than five months, GoldBod has given them GH₵5m and five Toyota Hilux vehicles, and we plan to give them more vehicles. And since we gave them support, you’ve seen the renewed fight all over the place,” he said.

He added that such contributions show that the corporation is part of the solution, not the problem.

“So how can the same GoldBod, established to support the fight against illegal mining and actually supporting the fight against illegal mining by putting in resources, be accused of promoting galamsey?” he questioned.