President John Dramani Mahama has launched a bold initiative to combat gold smuggling, unveiling a reward scheme that promises 10 per cent of the value of any recovered gold or its cash equivalent to whistleblowers.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Task Force on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Accra, President Mahama urged citizens to support efforts to curb illegal activities in the gold sector.
“If you blow the whistle and gold or money is retrieved, you will get 10 per cent of its value,” he declared, encouraging public participation in safeguarding national mineral resources.
The newly established GoldBod Task Force is a multi-agency unit formed under Act 1140, comprising selected personnel from the military, national security, and other enforcement agencies. Task force members have received specialised training, including anti-corruption procedures, polygraph tests, and orientation on the Minerals and Mining Act, 2016 (Act 703, as amended).
President Mahama stressed that officers would operate under strict oversight, with every field operation requiring a written warrant issued by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board.
“All officers will wear body cameras during operations, and task force vehicles will be GPS-tracked and monitored in real time,” he said, warning that any member found guilty of misconduct or corruption would be dismissed, prosecuted, and stripped of all benefits.
The measures come amid growing concern over underreporting and smuggling in Ghana’s gold industry. A recent audit revealed a 229-metric-tonne gap between official export figures and data from trading partners abroad, amounting to an estimated loss of $11.4 billion over five years.
“These losses cannot continue. We are taking control of our mineral wealth, and this task force is central to enforcing the law,” Mr Mahama stated.
He announced further that the Ghana Gold Board would soon introduce a traceability system to track the origin of all gold and assist small-scale miners with geological data and environmental rehabilitation.
