{
  "id": 444412,
  "title": "GoldBod profiles artisanal miners to trace sources of Ghana’s gold – Sammy Gyamfi",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/goldbod-profiles-artisanal-miners-to-trace-sources-of-ghanas-gold",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-10T05:06:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/goldbod-profiles-artisanal-miners-to-trace-sources-of-ghanas-gold-sammy-gyamfi/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Ghana Gold Board, also known as GoldBod, has embarked on a nationwide initiative to profile artisanal and small-scale gold miners. This effort aims to gather comprehensive data on gold production and enhance traceability within the sector. The exercise, which began approximately two months ago, is anticipated to determine the origin of gold purchased throughout Ghana and ascertain the percentage contribution from artisanal miners versus licensed small-scale operators.\n\nGoldBod's Chief Executive Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, explained that the initiative is being carried out using the Board's licensing, gold-buying, and receipting systems. These systems enable the organization to track the source and category of gold entering the formal market. During a recent conversation on X, Mr Gyamfi stated that the Board started the exercise about two months ago as the gold trading industry has now been formalized under the oversight of GoldBod.\n\nThrough its receipting system, GoldBod intends to discern the geographical distribution of gold production. The CEO elaborated that by analyzing the gold they purchase, they can ascertain the percentage sourced from Upper East, Savannah, Central regions, and how these percentages are distributed across these areas. Mr Gyamfi also mentioned that the exercise will establish the quantity of gold supplied by small-scale miners and artisanal operators, as well as the number of miners falling under these categories.\n\nCurrently, Ghana lacks detailed and current data on the artisanal mining sector, with most existing records pertaining to small-scale mining licenses issued by the Minerals Commission. GoldBod is working to address this knowledge gap because the Minerals Commission only maintains records of small-scale mining licenses issued. Furthermore, the sector's size and distribution are complicated by expired licenses and applications awaiting renewal, hindering the establishment of the sector's current size and distribution.\n\nGoldBod is well-positioned to fill this data void due to its licensing and gold-purchasing systems, which provide information on traders and the sources of gold entering the formal market. All gold buyers operating under the new regulatory framework are required to obtain licenses and undergo due diligence, including Know Your Customer (KYC), anti-money laundering, and counter-terrorism financing checks before obtaining licenses. GoldBod has deployed inspectors and a task force nationwide to monitor gold trading activities and enforce compliance with licensing requirements.\n\nThe collected data will provide policymakers with a clearer understanding of Ghana's artisanal and small-scale mining industry, facilitating future interventions to formalize the sector. While preliminary indications suggest that the artisanal sector might be larger than the licensed small-scale mining sector, GoldBod has yet to determine its exact size. The Board expressed willingness to share the findings once the exercise is concluded, emphasizing the importance of addressing the longstanding data gap in Ghana's mining sector.",
  "summary": "The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has commenced a nationwide exercise to profile artisanal and small-scale gold miners as part of efforts to establish comprehensive data on gold production and improve traceability within the sector. The exercise, which began about two months ago, is expected to help GoldBod determine where gold purchased across the country is […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Adom Online",
        "title": "GoldBod profiles artisanal miners to trace sources of Ghana’s gold – Sammy Gyamfi",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/goldbod-profiles-artisanal-miners-to-trace-sources-of-ghanas-gold-445807",
        "published": "2026-08-10T07:12:26.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}