By Alex Ababio
A Political Storm Around Goldbod
Ghana’s long-running struggle to regulate its gold sector has once again taken centre stage, as political tensions deepen over allegations surrounding the operations of Goldbod. What began as a Minority press conference warning of massive state losses has now evolved into a broader debate about credibility, accountability, and the responsibility of public officials to defend serious claims under public scrutiny.
At the heart of the controversy is a sharp exchange between Minority spokesperson and former Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, and public relations specialist and staunch National Democratic Congress (NDC) member, Dzifa Gunu. While Oppong Nkrumah has raised alarm over alleged financial, environmental, and regulatory breaches linked to Goldbod, Dzifa Gunu has shifted the national conversation by questioning why the Minority spokesperson failed to defend his claims when invited to do so on a respected current affairs platform.
Her blunt assessment has resonated widely within political and media circles, reigniting debates about transparency, public accountability, and the integrity of Ghana’s anti-galamsey efforts.
Dzifa Gunu’s Challenge: “He Chickened Out”
In a strongly worded Facebook post reacting to the ongoing Goldbod debate, and sighted by MyNewsGh, Dzifa Gunu openly challenged Kojo Oppong Nkrumah’s credibility.
“Let it be known that Kojo Oppong Nkrumah was invited to News File to defend his claim against Goldbod, he chickened out,” she wrote.
The statement was more than a personal jab. It directly questioned the conduct of a public official who had earlier made weighty allegations about potential state losses and illegal mining activities. By invoking News File, one of Ghana’s most respected and rigorous political discussion programmes, Dzifa framed the issue as a test of accountability rather than mere partisan disagreement.
Her intervention immediately shifted the narrative—from what was alleged, to whether the person making those allegations was willing to defend them in a forum designed for tough questioning and public examination.
Why News File Matters in Ghana’s Democracy
News File, hosted on Joy News, is widely recognised as a platform where public officials, policymakers, and political actors are subjected to intense scrutiny. Media scholars at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) have often described the programme as a “democratic accountability space,” where claims are tested against evidence and counter-arguments.
According to Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo, former Dean of the School of Information and Communication Studies at the University of Ghana, such platforms are essential to democratic governance.
“When public officials make allegations with national implications, refusing to defend them on credible platforms weakens public trust and damages democratic discourse,” she noted in a previously published media ethics lecture.
It is within this framework that Dzifa Gunu’s criticism has gained traction.
Background: Minority Raises Alarm Over Goldbod
The controversy traces back to a press conference held on Monday, December 29, where the Minority caucus raised serious concerns about Goldbod’s operations. Addressing journalists, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah alleged that Ghana could have lost hundreds of millions of dollars, with the losses potentially linked to environmental breaches and illegal mining activities.
He warned that the existing arrangement could be facilitating the purchase of illegally mined gold, raising red flags about the use of state funds.
“There are environmental issues that have to be dealt with,” Oppong Nkrumah said, stressing that immediate steps were needed to prevent public money from supporting unlawful mining practices.
These concerns were framed against Ghana’s ongoing battle with galamsey, a problem that has devastated water bodies, forest reserves, and farmlands across the country.
Claims of State Funds Supporting Galamsey
In one of the most striking assertions at the press briefing, Oppong Nkrumah declared:
“As of now, we have every reason to believe that state money is being used to buy galamsey gold.”
The Minority argued that gaps in oversight and weak regulatory enforcement had created opportunities for abuse, exposing the state to financial loss and environmental harm. They further indicated their intention to push for swift regulatory action to address these risks.
Proposed Measures: Suspension and Traceability
As part of the Minority’s response, Oppong Nkrumah outlined several proposed interventions. These included:
Suspension of permits within forest reserves
Introduction of stronger gold traceability systems
Enhanced transparency across the gold supply chain
According to him, weaknesses in the current framework had contributed directly to environmental degradation and heightened financial risk to the state.
These proposals align with recommendations found in multiple international and local policy documents, including World Bank mining governance reports, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) assessments, and Ghana’s own Minerals Commission compliance reviews, which consistently highlight traceability as a critical gap in artisanal and small-scale mining regulation.
Documented Evidence: Environmental and Financial Risks
Independent reports lend weight to concerns about illegal mining and gold traceability. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ghana, in its periodic environmental impact assessments (available in official PDF reports), has repeatedly warned that unregulated gold extraction contributes significantly to water pollution, mercury contamination, and forest loss.
Similarly, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, to which Ghana is a signatory, identifies artisanal gold mining as one of the largest sources of mercury emissions globally. Experts from the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, have also published peer-reviewed studies linking weak oversight in gold trading to environmental and revenue losses.
Dzifa Gunu Reframes the Debate: Accountability Over Allegations
While acknowledging the seriousness of illegal mining, Dzifa Gunu’s intervention redirected attention to the responsibility of those making public accusations.
By highlighting Oppong Nkrumah’s absence from News File, she argued that allegations of this magnitude should not end at press conferences.
Her position reflects a broader principle of democratic accountability: that public officials must be willing to subject their claims to rigorous questioning.
Media governance expert Dr. Kojo Impraim, in a previously reported policy forum, emphasized that “press conferences communicate positions, but platforms like News File test credibility.”
Political Tension and Public Trust
The exchange between Dzifa Gunu and Kojo Oppong Nkrumah underscores the growing political tension surrounding natural resource governance in Ghana. With gold remaining one of the country’s most important export earners, any suggestion of systemic abuse carries enormous public interest.
Civil society organisations such as IMANI Ghana and the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) have consistently argued that transparency, not political point-scoring, is essential to reforming the sector.
Beyond Partisan Lines: A National Issue
Although the debate has taken on partisan overtones, analysts caution that the stakes extend beyond party politics. Environmental economist Dr. Wisdom Akpalu, in a previously published interview on extractive governance, noted that failures in accountability ultimately harm citizens through lost revenue, degraded ecosystems, and weakened institutions.
Conclusion: Claims Demand Courage
In the end, the Goldbod controversy is no longer only about alleged losses or environmental breaches. It has become a test case for political courage and public accountability.
By declaring that Oppong Nkrumah “ran away” from the opportunity to defend his claims, Dzifa Gunu has posed a question that resonates deeply within Ghana’s democratic culture: should leaders who raise serious allegations be willing to defend them under public scrutiny?
As the debate continues, many Ghanaians will be watching not just for investigations and reforms, but for a renewed commitment to transparency—where claims are backed by evidence, and accountability is not optional but expected.