Don't put GoldBod in hands of people with no work experience - Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu

Former Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has raised concerns about the GoldBod. He believes the people chosen for this task lack competence and experience.

He stated, “It is a good intent that they have expressed. You expect to populate the board with people who have skills in commodity trading. If you take people with no work experience, we can’t leave the country’s gold in their hands.”

Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu warned, “If we get it wrong at the very outset, it will be dangerous for us as a country.” He spoke during a public dialogue on the 2025 National Budget organized by Kumasi Bloc Members of Parliament.

The Ghana Gold Board is being established to regulate small-scale mining. This follows a promise made in the NDC's manifesto.

Sammy Gyamfi, acting CEO of the Precious Mineral and Marketing Commission, will lead GoldBod's formation. The group has already met with players in the mining industry to gather their views.

The Kumasi Dialogue was themed: "Assessing the 2025 Budget: Implications for Kumasi's Development and the way forward."

During his speech, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu questioned the legality of allowances for Assembly members. He asked, “If the President says he is giving assembly members allowances, where will it come from?”

He noted that these funds would come from public money but said this violates constitutional rules. He added that both Finance Minister and Local Government Minister’s claims about allowances are laughable since emoluments include allowances.

From a gender perspective, he criticized budget allocations for women's banks as inadequate.

He pointed out that establishing banks requires GH₵400 million (about $100 million). However, only GH₵51 million (around $3.2 million) has been allocated for 17 million women in Ghana.

Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu emphasized that improving environmental practices could enhance economic conditions in Ashanti Region. This would help reduce illegal mining and positively impact cocoa and timber production.