By Our Democracy News
ACCRA, Ghana — October 24, 2026
The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Lands and Natural Resources Committee, Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, has called for the immediate resignation or dismissal of Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi over comments he alleges suggest that small-scale mining can be conducted without the requisite licence and permits.
In a press release dated October 23, 2026, the Mampong MP accused Mr Gyamfi of making remarks that could undermine Ghana’s mining laws and weaken efforts to combat illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong, speaking on behalf of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority, also demanded an unqualified apology from Mr Gyamfi, government sanctions against him, an audit of GoldBod’s gold-purchasing documentation and a clear roadmap from President John Dramani Mahama to end galamsey.
The demands follow a widely circulated video in which Mr Gyamfi, according to the Minority’s account, addressed a group of people about the government’s approval for galamsey operators to mine in certain areas, provided their operations were not within forest reserves, waterbodies or by roadsides.
The Minority questioned whether the remarks could be interpreted as allowing mining without the legally required licences and permits, arguing that such an interpretation could weaken accountability and enforcement of the country’s mining regulations.
Minority cites Minerals and Mining Act
Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong cited Sections 9(1) and 82(1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), to support his position that mineral exploration and small-scale mining must comply with the applicable licensing requirements.
Section 9(1), as quoted in the statement, provides that a person must be granted the relevant mineral right under the Act before conducting activities involving the search, reconnaissance, prospecting, exploration or mining of minerals.
Section 82(1) is also cited as requiring a licence granted by the Minister responsible for Mines, or an authorised officer, before a person can undertake small-scale mining operations.
The Minority argued that compliance with the law remains necessary regardless of whether an area falls outside a forest reserve, waterbody or roadside.
It further accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) of failing to provide a credible solution to galamsey, contrasting the alleged comments with the party’s campaign commitments to tackle illegal mining ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Seven demands presented to government
The Minority has outlined seven demands in response to the controversy.
It wants Mr Gyamfi to offer an unqualified apology to Ghanaians and the government to condemn and sanction his conduct. It has also called for his immediate resignation as GoldBod CEO or dismissal if he fails to step down.
The other demands include a comprehensive audit of GoldBod’s documentation to establish the traceability of gold purchases from mine to market, a clear roadmap from President Mahama to end galamsey, the declaration of a state of emergency in all identified red-flag galamsey hotspots, and the formalisation of the establishment and operations of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) through a Legislative Instrument (L.I.).
The Minority has urged civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, traditional authorities, media organisations, organised labour, youth groups, professional bodies and other stakeholders to condemn what it described as reckless comments and demand accountability from the government.
The press release was signed by Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong in his capacity as MP for Mampong and Ranking Member of Parliament’s Lands and Natural Resources Committee.
Our Democracy News has not independently verified the full context of the video or obtained a response from Sammy Gyamfi regarding the allegations. The claims and demands outlined in this report are attributed to the NPP Minority’s press release.
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