The Ghana Gold Board on Friday, May 22, 2026, hosted a high-level delegation from the UK Royal College of Defence Studies as part of an official study tour aimed at deepening understanding of Ghana’s evolving gold governance architecture and the strategic role of the GoldBod in the country’s economy.

The engagement, held at the headquarters of the GoldBod, provided the delegation with comprehensive insights into the institution’s operational framework, regulatory mandate, anti-smuggling interventions and ongoing reforms targeted at formalising Ghana’s gold trading sector.

Receiving the delegation was the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the GoldBod, Richard Nunekpeku, Esq. who welcomed the team and highlighted the institution’s vision of transforming Ghana’s gold sector through transparency, responsible sourcing, value addition and strategic market reforms.

According to him, the GoldBod has over the past year strengthened collaboration with both local and international institutions, particularly in areas relating to anti-money laundering compliance, responsible sourcing frameworks and sustainable policy implementation.

He cited the UK-Ghana Gold Programme as one of the key partnerships supporting the institution’s broader reform agenda and noted that the GoldBod remained open to further strategic collaborations that would enhance its mandate to formalise and modernise Ghana’s gold trade.

The visiting delegation, which included officials from the UK Civil Service and the British High Commission, was also taken through a detailed presentation by the GoldBod’s Director of Finance, Mr. George Baah Danquah.

Mr. Danquah explained the institution’ framework, strategic priorities and long-term objectives of the GoldBod, stressing the institution’s commitment to ensuring that Ghana derives greater economic value from its gold resources through value addition and responsible trade systems.

He further highlighted ongoing interventions to combat gold smuggling, describing illicit trade as one of the major threats to revenue mobilisation and sectoral integrity. According to him, the GoldBod’s formalisation agenda for the artisanal and small-scale mining sector remains central to its operations, with traceability and gold tokenisation initiatives expected to significantly improve transparency and accountability within the supply chain.

The Head of Taskforce at the GoldBod, Captain Komlaga, also briefed the delegation on the institution’s compliance and enforcement operations.

He explained that the multi-agency taskforce, made up of military personnel, police officers and national security operatives, had played a critical role in combating smuggling and ensuring compliance within the gold trading ecosystem.

Captain Komlaga detailed the operational cycle of the taskforce, including intelligence gathering, surveillance, arrests and prosecution processes, all aimed at sanitising the sector and protecting Ghana’s gold resources.

Members of the delegation later engaged officials of the GoldBod on issues relating to operational risks, sector reforms and the institution’s impact on the national economy.

Responding to the questions, Mr. Nunekpeku underscored the rapid progress made by the GoldBod despite being barely a year old, describing the institution as an emerging pillar of Ghana’s economic transformation agenda.

He pointed to major achievements including the formalisation of the artisanal and small-scale mining sector, reduction in foreign participation in the local gold trading market, enhanced value addition efforts and strengthened anti-smuggling operations.

The Deputy CEO also revealed that the GoldBod was currently investing in geological surveys under its Mining Support Programme to support responsible community mining and create sustainable livelihood opportunities in mineral-rich communities across the country.

Within a relatively short period of its establishment, the Ghana Gold Board has emerged as a key institution attracting growing interest from high-level local and international delegations seeking to study its operational model and reform-driven approach to gold governance.