The CEO of Ghana Gold Board ( Goldbod ), Samuel Gyamf Esq. has paried concerns that the Ghana GoldBod buys gold from illegal small-scale miners otherwise known as Galamseyers.

According to him the only legally authorized body with the exclusive rights to trade in gold and other precious minerals deals with only licensed small-scale miners.

Reacting to Imani’s Kofi Bentil claims that Goldbod buys gold from illegal miners, the CEO said on TV3’s Key Point that ” The Goldbod doesn’t buy gold from illegal miners. We only deal with licensed small-scale miners,”

Kofi Bentil, also a private legal practitioner criticized the government for buying gold from illegal miners who constitute about 85% of small-scale miners and yet we claim it was fighting illegal mining.

For his part, a Private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu agreed with the position taken by President John Dramani Mahama on the call to declare a state of emergency in the areas affected by illegal mining .

He wondered what exactly a state of emergency would do to the problem that cannot be addressed in the absence of a state of emergency.

“What is it that we can’t do now, but only a state of emergency will allow us to do? A declaration of a state of emergency is a paper; it is not a magic wand. You will still need the police to enforce it,” he said

According to him, “Under the law, currently, the Police can help; they are allowed to go and stop the galamseyer, and the president says that after that they [Police] will have a prominent presence in the forest.”

President John Dramani Mahama has said that he has been reluctant to implement a state of emergency in the galamsey fight because they have not exhausted the powers to tackle illegal mining.

He said this at the media encounter in Accra on Wednesday, September 10.

“I’ve been reluctant to implement a state of emergency in the galamsey fight because we’ve not exhausted the powers we even have without a state of emergency,” he explained.

He stressed that government agencies already have the mandate to arrest offenders, seize equipment, and enforce forest protection laws.

“We have the opportunity to arrest anybody, to confiscate any such thing. The laws for forest protection and all that give us enough powers to be able to act,” he said.

President Mahama further stated that since assuming office, his government has not issued any license to allow mining in the country’s forest reserves.

He said plans are underway to repeal L.I. 2462, which allows mining in forest reserves.

“Steps are currently underway to repeal L.I. 2462 to formalize our commitment to end mining in forest reserves. Let me be clear, since my administration resumed office not a single license has been issued to any company to mine in our forest reserves,” the President stated.

According to the President, the repeal of L.I.2462 is will demonstrate in practice his government’s commitment to protect these forest reserves.

The Acting Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (MP), has officially written to the Office of the Attorney General for the immediate revocation of Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462 and its amended version, L.I. 2501.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Ministry on August 29, 2025 and signed by Ama Mawusi Mawuenyefia.