Source: Onuaonline.com
Sammy Gyamfi has slammed the Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, for labeling the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) as a “Galamsey Board”.
The Acting Managing Director of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC) says the Effutu lawmaker made that comment to please followers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Sammy Gyamfi’s comments stem from claims by the Minority that the GoldBod Bill’s passage was rushed. The caucus leader, Afenyo-Markin, had said the Board would oversee activities of illegal miners, often referred to as ‘galamsey’.
However, Gyamfi clarified that certain clauses of the Bill were passed with the Minority present, who later walked out citing tiredness. He stated that the claim the Bill was rushed through is therefore unfounded.
“For the records, Clauses 1-15 of the Bill were considered and approved by the house when the NPP Minority was present, without any substantial disagreements whatsoever. Therefore, the decision by the NPP to walk out at some point on grounds that they were tired is no evidence that the GoldBod Bill was rushed,” he clarified in a post on his Facebook Tuesday, April 01, 2025.
Sammy indicated that some Minority members even testified to the rigorous process the Bill underwent, refuting claims that it was rushed.
“As a matter of fact, a very respected leading member of the NPP side, told me before the winnowing process commenced, that he has never seen a Bill go through the kind of strict parliamentary scrutiny the GoldBod Bill was subjected to.”
He asserted that the Bill was passed with inputs from the Minority, including Afenyo-Markin himself, which casts doubt on the validity of his claims.
“…as for the press conference that was addressed by Hon. Afenyo Markin on the night of 28th March, 2025, to label the GoldBod as “Galamsey Board”, the least said about it, the better.
“Every objective mind ought to know that the said press conference was nothing but a misguided partisan political stunt aimed at pleasing his party footsoldiers. The GoldBod Bill passed by Parliament has several clauses that were proposed by the NPP MPs, including Afenyo Markin himself,” he stated.
His comments come after the passage of the Ghana Gold Board Bill 2025 into law on Friday, March 28, 2025. The newly established Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has been tasked with overseeing, monitoring, and managing the buying, selling, and export of gold and other precious minerals.
Under this law, GoldBod has been designated as the sole exporter of gold from Ghana’s small-scale mining sector, effectively barring licensed traders and bullion dealers from making direct gold exports.
The establishment of GoldBod is part of President John Dramani Mahama’s economic revitalization efforts and operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance.
Source: www.onuaonline.com
