According to Sammy Gyamfi, Goldbod does not purchase gold. He claims that only authorized small-scale miners do business with Goldbod. Illegal miners are not the source of gold purchased by The Goldbod. In response to a statement made by private attorney Kofi Bentil that Gold Bod purchases gold from illicit miners, he stated on the Key Points that “we only deal with licensed small-scale miners.”
“We continue to buy gold from illegal miners who constitute 85% of small-scale miners and yet we claim we are fighting Galamsey,” Kofi Bentil had stated on the same broadcast.
For his side, Ing. Dr. Ken Ashigbey, Convenor of the Ghana Coalition Against unlawful Mining, voiced concerns that Ghanaian gold would soon be rejected on the global market because of contamination by unlawful small-scale miners (Galamseyers).
He emphasizes the need to take all necessary steps to combat the galamsey threat.
On Saturday, October 11, he also stated on TV3’s Key Points that “the growing amount of contamination by illegal miners may soon cause our gold to be rejected on the international market.”
He went on to say, “The National House of Chiefs must begin exposing chiefs involved in illicit mining.” We might also need to think about taking land away from chiefs who have granted it to illegal miners.
Anti-galamsey activists continue to call for President John Dramani Mahama to impose a state of emergency, according to Dr. Ken Ashigbey.
He pointed out that galamsey is wreaking havoc on forests and waterways, a situation that also endangers human life.
On Saturday, September 20, he stated on the Key Points on TV3 that “we still demand that the President declare a state of emergency because we have over 7,000 excavators out there causing mass destruction to water bodies and forest reserves.”
Private attorney Martin Kpebu, for his part, supported President John Dramani Mahama’s stance on the need to impose a state of emergency in the regions impacted by illicit mining.
He pondered the precise impact that a state of emergency would have on the issue that cannot be resolved without one.
What is it that only a state of emergency will permit us to do that we are unable to do now? Declaring a state of emergency is not a magic wand; it is a document. “The police will still be required to enforce it,” he stated on Saturday, September 20, on TV3’s Key Points.
According to the legislation, the police can assist right now by going to stop the galamseyer, and the president has stated that they will thereafter have a noticeable presence in the forest, he continued.
According to President John Dramani Mahama, he has been hesitant to declare a state of emergency in the Galamsey conflict since they haven’t used all of their authority to combat illicit mining.
He made this statement during the Wednesday, September 10 media meeting in Accra.
He clarified, “We haven’t used up all of our options without a state of emergency, so I’ve been hesitant to impose one in the Galamsey fight.”
He emphasized that government organizations already have the authority to enforce forest preservation laws, confiscate equipment, and make arrests of criminals.
“We have the power to detain anyone and seize anything of that nature. We have the authority to take action because of the rules protecting forests and everything else,” he stated.
President Mahama went on to say that his administration has not granted any permits for mining in the nation’s forest reserves since taking office.
According to him, efforts are being made to revoke L.I. 2462, which permits mining in forest reserves.
In order to formally commit to ending mining in forest reserves, steps are now being taken to repeal L.I. 2462. To be clear, no corporation has been granted a license to mine in our forest reserves since my administration returned to power,” the president said.
The President claims that by repealing L.I.2462, his government will put its promise to preserving these forest reserves into action.
In a formal letter to the Office of the Attorney General, Acting Minister for Environment, Science, and Technology Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (MP) has called for the immediate revocation of Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462 and its amended version, L.I. 2501.
This was revealed in a statement signed by Ama Mawusi Mawuenyefia and released by the Ministry on August 29, 2025.
According to the statement, the goal of this legal action is to fortify and harmonize the regulatory framework, establishing a unified front for all parties involved in the nationwide campaign against “galamsey,” or unlawful mining.
The action seeks to stop the serious environmental destruction that has deteriorated Ghana’s forest reserves and contaminated its waterways.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) current regulatory framework, according to the Minister, offers strong and adequate rules to monitor all mining operations.
Strict adherence to social and environmental norms will be ensured by this unified framework, ensuring ethical mining activities throughout the industry.
The move immediately complements on-the-ground activities such as the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) and the operational coordination of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS).
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Act gave L.I. 2462 the authority to control the environmental effects of mining in forest reserves.
It created a procedure for awarding environmental permits and mining licenses inside forest reserves, subject to certain requirements to minimize harm.
The rules forbade mining in “Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas” (GSBAs), among other sensitive ecological and cultural places, but gave the president the power to authorize mining there if it was thought to be in the “national interest.”
Concerned people, environmental activists, and civil society organizations immediately and widely criticized the Legislative Instrument, claiming it had failed to preserve the forest reserves and had permitted further environmental damage.