No Gold Is Worth A Life: GOLDBOD Backs NAIMOs Galamsey Crackdown

The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has declared full support for the renewed nationwide assault on illegal mining known locally as ‘galamsey’ as its Chief Executive Officer, Sammy Gyamfi Esq., issued a powerful call to action from the 2025 Dubai Precious Metals Conference.

With a bold warning that “no volume of gold is worth a human life,” Mr Gyamfi reaffirmed the Board’s zero-tolerance stance on the environmental wreckage caused by unregulated mining.

Mr Gyamfi acknowledged that the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) sector has played a crucial role in Ghana’s ongoing economic rebound, boosting foreign exchange inflows, strengthening the cedi, and supporting single-digit inflation.

But he was unequivocal that Ghana cannot continue paying the steep environmental and human cost imposed by illegal miners.

He cited:

• Pollution of major river bodies
• Destruction of forest reserves
• Land contamination through mercury and excessive cyanide
• Long-term harm to farming communities and ecosystems

“These are not abstract problems,” he stressed. “They threaten our survival.”

To confront the crisis head-on, GoldBod has now formally aligned with the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operation Secretariat (NAIMOS).

The CEO says the collaboration will deliver a “fierce and ruthless” crackdown on individuals, syndicates, and entities involved in illegal mining.

The partnership is backed by the GoldBod Act (Act 1140), which mandates the Board to:

• Formalise ASM operations
• Enforce responsible sourcing
• Promote sustainability
• Ensure legal compliance across the gold value chain

GoldBod will therefore bring its regulatory power, licensing oversight, and sourcing verification tools to support NAIMOS in rooting out networks behind illegal mining.

Addressing the global mining community, Mr Gyamfi called on developing countries to adopt:

• Stronger reforms in the ASM sector
• Strategic investment in sustainable mining
• Tough penalties for offenders who damage the environment

He also appealed to international institutions, in particular the DMCC, OECD, and LBMA, to partner with Ghana to ensure that only responsibly sourced gold enters the global supply chain.

With GoldBod’s full force behind the national anti-galamsey effort, Ghana is signalling a new chapter in mineral governance, one where economic activity and environmental stewardship “go hand in hand”.

The CEO’s message to illegal miners was unmistakable and stern:

The era of impunity is ending—and Ghana’s ecological future will be protected with unwavering resolve.