AMEND SECTION 25 OF THE GOLD BOARD ACT TO SAFEGUARD INSTITUTIONAL MANDATES & PREVENT FINANCIAL LOSSES

On Tuesday, 16 June 2026, the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) entered into an agreement with the Forestry Commission and the Ghana Armed Forces to reclaim part of the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve degraded by decades of illegal mining. The GHc36.35 million project is expected to reclaim 50 hectares of affected land.

The media coalition against Galamsey also reported in March 2026 that illegal mining has spread from 45 to 50 forest reserves, including the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve, despite the revocation of L1 2462. The threats posed by illegal miners to our forest reserves are glaring. Reclamation of degraded mine sites has been undertaken by the Minerals Commission, NAELP, Forestry Commission and GLRSSMP, under the lead of the Ministry of Lands & Natural Resources, with mandates.

While Goldbod steps in to support reclamation activities, the Africa Policy Lens holds the view that, although section 3g of the Act may be used by Goldbod as a justification for the reclamation exercise, the breadth of these provisions creates significant risks of mandate duplication, institutional overlap, and the gradual evolution of Goldbod into a de facto upstream small-scale mining regulator. It doesn’t fall within the mandate of the Goldbod to veer off its objects under section 2 of the Goldbod Act to lead and manage upstream allied mining activities.

This comes a few months after it indicated that, through its Mining Support Unit, it would partner with the Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA) and the Minerals Commission to conduct geological exploration in certain areas for ASM. While this appears progressive, the Minerals Commission, in an RTI response dated May 18, 2026, stated that “The Commission only provides the Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA) with information on blocked out areas to enable the authorities’ geological investigations initiatives on behalf of the Ghana Gold Board.” This raises serious governance issues regarding the roles of Natural resources institutions with direct mandates for such activities, while GoldBod pushes through.

These continuous actions by the GoldBod, climbing upstream of the small-scale mining chain under the guise of funding:

Seeks to undermine the mandate of the Ministry of Lands & Natural Resources and related agencies such as the Minerals Commission, Forestry Commission and RCOMSDEP with direct mandates to lead and execute such reclamation activities, among others.

Could weaken institutional independence, distort accountability frameworks and create parallel governance structures within the mineral sector:

Could lead to financial loss for the State, as GoldBod, without direct oversight responsibilities for the mining sector, may face challenges in effectively tracking, evaluating, and ensuring value for money in such initiatives.

The Africa Policy Lens diagnoses further revealed that the current wording of sections 3 and 25 of the Ghana Gold Board Act, 1140, may intentionally or unintentionally be expanding Goldbod’s influence into areas already covered by existing institutions.

We therefore call for:

An immediate amendment of section 25 of the Ghana Goldboard Act. Funds that will be made available by the Board of Directors of the Goldboard should not be given back to the same Goldboard to administer in line with 25(1) and 25(3).

The proposed amendment should read: “The funds earmarked under section 25(1) shall be transferred to the relevant public institutions, agencies and programmes established under law and mandated to support the activities of small-scale miners in accordance with section 25(2).”

Goldboard must focus on its core mandate in line with section 2 of the Ghana Goldboard Act 2025, Act 1140, and the appropriate institutions with the mandate and capacity must be allowed to drive upstream activities.

An immediate amendment to section 25(3) of the Ghana Goldboard Act is needed. The Goldboard's retention of the power to issue guidelines on the use, allocation and disbursement of funds gives it excessive control over upstream small-scale mining activities, which are not part of its mandate.

Dr. George Domfe
President of APL and Development Economist at the University of Ghana
+233240920170

Dr. Hayford Ayerakwa
Director of Research and a Lecturer at the University of Ghana
+233243135822

Ing. Wisdom Gomashie
+233 54 202 6225