|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Sammy Gyamfi, the Acting Managing Director of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC), has strongly refuted claims that the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Bill was hastily passed without proper scrutiny. According to him, the bill underwent extensive consultations and due diligence before its approval by Parliament on March 29, 2025. The bill is now awaiting presidential assent to become law.
Extensive Stakeholder Consultations
Gyamfi detailed the rigorous process that led to the drafting and passage of the bill. He stated, “It became clear from these engagements that a broad consultative approach was an imperative in creating a legal and operational framework for the GoldBod that is fit for purpose. Consequently, a Technical Committee was constituted by the Minister responsible for Finance with representatives from all the key stakeholders such as the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners, Chamber of Bullion Traders, Ghana, Bank of Ghana, Minerals Commission, Minerals Income Investment Fund, among others.”
The committee conducted several engagements, starting with a series of meetings involving experts from the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, and legal consultants. Additionally, regional-level consultations were held in Akyem Tafo, Kumasi, and Tarkwa to gather input from chiefs, gold dealers, small-scale miners, and other industry players.
Parliamentary Scrutiny and Amendments
Gyamfi emphasized that the bill was subjected to thorough parliamentary scrutiny, stating, “For the records, the GoldBod Bill was subjected to thorough scrutiny in Parliament. At the first meeting of the Joint Committee of Finance and Lands and Natural Resources, the NPP Minority side requested a one-day adjournment to study the Bill in detail before proceeding to consider it. This request was granted.”
He further explained that amendments were made following debates and recommendations from various stakeholders. “The Joint Committee scrutinized, reviewed, and debated every single clause of the Bill in line with laid down parliamentary rules and practice. In the process, several amendments were made to the Bill,” he noted.
Despite the extensive engagements and revisions, the NPP Minority still introduced over fifty new amendments at a later stage, prompting further discussions at the Winnowing Committee. “At the winnowing session, all the over fifty (50) advertised amendments from NPP MPs were thoroughly and constructively discussed and debated. Also, over twenty (20) proposed amendments that had not even been advertised were discussed. Several of the proposed amendments were accepted at winnowing, while the rest were abandoned by the proponents in the process. It is instructive to note that the NPP side at this meeting was led by the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin himself. This constructive process, which took over four hours, considerably improved the GoldBod Bill into what it is today,” Gyamfi explained.
Political Disagreements and Misinformation
Commenting on criticisms from the NPP, Gyamfi dismissed claims that the bill was rushed, asserting, “A very respected leading member of the NPP side told me before the winnowing process commenced that he had never seen a Bill go through the kind of strict parliamentary scrutiny the GoldBod Bill was subjected to.”
He also criticized a press conference held by Hon. Afenyo-Markin, where the bill was labeled the “Galamsey Board.” Gyamfi described this as “a misguided partisan political stunt aimed at pleasing his party foot soldiers.”
Conclusion
In response to allegations of the bill being rushed, Gyamfi firmly stated, “I have taken the time to chronicle all these events for every discerning mind to know that the GoldBod Bill, despite being developed and passed in a space of 68 days, was not rushed at all. On the contrary, the GoldBod Bill, passed by Parliament and awaiting Presidential assent, is a product of diligent work, extensive, far-reaching stakeholder consultations, buy-in, and thorough parliamentary scrutiny.”
With the bill awaiting the president’s signature, stakeholders in the gold industry and the public eagerly anticipate its implementation to regulate and enhance transparency within Ghana’s gold sector.
Email Daily Mail GH: stories@dailymailgh.com or
Whatsapp: +233(0)509928122
