Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi has launched a strong response to Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin following comments about the performance of the state institution and the possibility of future legal action against officials.
Gyamfi made the remarks during the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, in response to statements made by Afenyo-Markin at a press conference the previous day.
Afenyo-Markin had warned that officials of the current administration, including GoldBod executives, could face difficult bail conditions if the New Patriotic Party (NPP) returns to power. He also raised concerns about alleged losses involving GoldBod, reportedly putting the figure at about GH¢22 billion.
Gyamfi dismissed the warning and said he was not intimidated by suggestions that he could face imprisonment or other legal consequences.
He argued that GoldBod had made significant progress under the current administration and challenged critics to consider the institution’s achievements before making claims about its performance.
According to Gyamfi, Ghana’s gold value chain has undergone changes, particularly in the area of local refining. He contrasted the current situation with the previous NPP administration and argued that the country had made progress in retaining more value from its gold resources.
Gyamfi also took aim at Afenyo-Markin’s style of commentary, describing some of the Minority Leader’s statements as lacking the level of seriousness and research he expected from someone occupying such a prominent parliamentary position.
He compared the remarks to what he described as the fanciful talk of a palm wine bar and suggested that the statements should be regarded as comic relief rather than serious political commentary.
The GoldBod CEO went further by comparing Afenyo-Markin with previous occupants of the Minority Leader position. He referenced former parliamentarians such as J.H. Mensah, Papa Owusu-Ankomah and Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, whom he said were known for their depth and substance when contributing to parliamentary debates.
Gyamfi accused the current Minority Leader of lowering what he considers to have been the standard associated with the position.
He also rejected the suggestion that threats of imprisonment would cause him to become nervous. In a pointed response to Afenyo-Markin’s warning, Gyamfi said that the prison and onerous bail conditions existed only in the Minority Leader’s imagination.
He maintained that he was prepared to face whatever consequences might arise from his work and insisted that he was acting in good faith while serving Ghana.
According to Gyamfi, the results of GoldBod’s work and the judgment of future generations would ultimately determine whether the institution’s current leadership had served the country well.
The exchange between the two politicians comes amid an increasingly heated debate over GoldBod’s finances, operations and contribution to Ghana’s gold sector.
Afenyo-Markin and other critics have continued to raise questions about the institution, while Gyamfi has defended GoldBod’s record and challenged the figures and interpretations presented by his opponents.
The latest confrontation has therefore added to the broader political debate over the management of Ghana’s gold resources and the accountability of public institutions.
While Gyamfi remains confident in GoldBod’s performance, the allegations raised by Afenyo-Markin remain matters of political dispute and should not be treated as established findings unless supported by the appropriate investigations or official processes.
For now, both sides remain firmly positioned on opposite sides of the debate, with Gyamfi insisting that he will not be intimidated and Afenyo-Markin continuing to scrutinise the government’s handling of GoldBod.
The disagreement is expected to remain part of Ghana’s political discourse as discussions over GoldBod’s finances, operations and accountability continue.
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Source: Thepressradio.com
