Mining consultant and former Minister for Power, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, has urged Ghanaians to unite behind the newly established Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) initiative to ensure its success.
Dr. Kwabena Donkor says the idea of a GoldBod to maximize the country’s earnings from the precious minerals is timely and a laudable intervention.
The former Minister for Power, who spoke exclusively in an interview with The High Street Journal, emphasized that while political differences remain, there is a convergence of vision across the political divide regarding the need for Ghana to extract greater value from its gold resources.
This shared vision across political lines, for him, is a strong signal that the initiative addresses a real national need.
“Setting up GoldBod is a laudable idea. And surprisingly, if you talk to our opponents, they claim they also had the same idea. Which means there’s a certain convergence that it is necessary for Ghanaians and the Ghanaian state to accrue to itself a higher value from gold than we are doing. So there’s that convergence,” he remarked.
He stressed that the real challenge now lies in the methodology and execution to achieve the intended objectives.
To him, Ghanaians must move beyond political posturing and instead focus on the collective responsibility to support the authorities tasked with bringing the GoldBod vision to life.
He said, “The implementation is what will come up with positive or negative results. It’s a question of how, the methodology. So we all have the collective responsibility of assisting those who have been entrusted to actualise the vision to succeed.”
Dr. Kwabena Donkor’s call for nationwide support for national development initiatives is a call that transcends politics and requires the goodwill, patriotism, and constructive participation of all citizens.
As the government strives to leverage its gold resources for greater economic stability and prosperity, he believes a united force is what is needed to achieve that objective.
The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) is a government institution established to replace the Precious Mineral Marketing Company (PMMC). Per the act, the GoldBod is mandated to regulate, formalize, and promote responsible small-scale gold mining and trading in Ghana. Its key aim is to streamline operations in the gold sector and ensure that Ghana derives greater economic benefits from its gold resources.
By regulating gold purchases, exports, and improving traceability in the gold supply chain, GoldBod seeks to maximize revenue for the state, curb smuggling, and strengthen Ghana’s position as a major player in the global gold industry.
