In a recent announcement, Sammy Gyamfi, the acting Managing Director of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC), declared that the GoldBod Bill will soon empower appointed inspectors. He explained that once the bill passes, these inspectors will receive special powers to arrest illegal gold smugglers.

On JoyNews PM Express, Tuesday, March 25, Mr. Gyamfi highlighted that Ghana has long struggled to enforce gold smuggling laws. He noted that no single agency has taken charge of combating the issue. He explained, “We are not enforcing the law on gold smuggling, and we don’t know the agency that is dedicated to the fight against gold smuggling. We’ve left it to the normal security agencies. But now you’re going to see in this bill, special powers given to the GoldBod, such as the right to appoint GoldBod inspectors.”

Under the new bill, GoldBod inspectors will have police-like authority. They can search premises, demand documentation, seize illegally traded gold, and arrest offenders independently. Mr. Gyamfi added, “If they have cause to believe that you are engaged in illegal gold trading or smuggling, they can seize your gold, they can impound, they can confiscate, they can go to court for such warrants by themselves.”

Furthermore, Mr. Gyamfi announced that the initiative will create a task force. This task force will work closely with national security, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Ministry of Defence to enhance enforcement efforts. He assured the public, “This is going to be special… Let the bill be passed and let the President assent to it. You can’t totally eliminate them, but for the first time, you will see gold smugglers being arrested, their gold seized, and them being taken to court to be prosecuted and convicted.”