Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo‑Markin accused the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) of encouraging illegal mining during a meeting with the Christian Council. He argued that GoldBod’s structure does not distinguish between legally mined gold and gold produced through galamsey, creating incentives for unlawful extraction.
“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.
Afenyo‑Markin warned that unchecked galamsey threatens Ghana’s forests and water bodies, especially the Atewa Forest. He added that rising contamination is driving up water treatment costs and crippling some treatment plants.
“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.
The MP called for stronger regulation to ensure gold trading arrangements do not undermine anti‑galamsey efforts. His remarks come amid growing concern over the environmental impact of illegal mining in Ghana.
