Govt to seize all gold from illegal mining to fund 'galamsey' clean-up – Bawah Mogtari

The Ghanaian government has announced plans for confiscated gold. This gold comes from illegal mining activities tracked by the blockchain system. Senior Presidential Advisor Joyce Bawah Mogtari shared these details.

In an interview with Woezor TV, she explained the Ghana Gold Board's role. They aim to prevent illegally mined gold from entering the formal market.

“If gold is acquired or mined illegally, it will be kept out of legal markets,” she stated during the April 20 interview.

The proceeds from selling this confiscated gold will fund reclamation efforts. These efforts include cleaning polluted water bodies and rehabilitating degraded lands.

Ms. Bawah Mogtari highlighted ongoing challenges like water pollution and forest degradation. She expressed happiness about young people working on solutions to these issues.

The Gold Board will use international standards to trace gold origins. This approach is similar to certification schemes for conflict diamonds.

“The world decided to punish those investing in blood diamonds,” she noted. “Diamonds from those communities were denied access to global markets.”

She estimated that Ghana exports about $5 billion worth of gold each year. A significant portion likely comes from illegal sources, providing little benefit to the state or local communities.

“That is the sort of thing we want to stop,” she said firmly.

According to her, the Gold Board has made progress and received support from legitimate mining players in Ghana.

“So far, they’ve taken some giant strides,” she added optimistically. “I think all of us should give it a chance.”