The General Overseer of Action Chapel International, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, has urged Ghanaians to pray for the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), warning that the institution is facing strong opposition from influential players within the gold industry.
Speaking during a church service on Sunday, August 16, the Archbishop said efforts to tighten controls on illegal gold trading had disrupted established channels used by some individuals to obtain Ghanaian gold.
According to him, some people involved in the international gold trade have now resorted to seeking connections with senior officials to gain access to GoldBod and continue purchasing gold through legitimate channels.
He said he had received calls from individuals in countries where Ghanaian gold had previously been acquired through illegal means, with some reportedly looking for influential contacts who could help them secure access to GoldBod.
“They can’t get the gold like before illegally, so they want some channels to the Gold Board so they can purchase the gold now from the Gold Board,” he said.
Duncan-Williams expressed concern that GoldBod could be coming up against highly influential individuals with extensive knowledge of the gold trade and the financial resources to challenge efforts to regulate the sector.
“It’s clear to me that the Gold Board is dealing with a very powerful movement—people very, very established who know and understand the field and how to do this and don’t want the right thing to be done,” he stated.
The Archbishop also highlighted what he described as the alarming scale of Ghana’s illegal gold trade, recounting an encounter he previously had with members of a ruling family in a Middle Eastern country.
He said he was informed that the amount of Ghanaian gold entering that country through illegal channels was reportedly three times higher than the quantity officially recorded by the Ghanaian government as having been sold there.
Duncan-Williams said the revelation was deeply troubling and left him concerned about the extent of the illegal trade.
“It disturbed me. It really broke my heart,” he recalled.
He further alleged that individuals involved in the illegal gold business were highly influential and possessed significant financial resources.
The Archbishop connected the illegal gold trade to wider threats facing Ghana, particularly the devastating impact of illegal mining on water bodies, agricultural lands and food production.
He cautioned against allowing political interests to interfere with the enforcement of laws aimed at protecting Ghana’s natural resources.
Duncan-Williams therefore called on Ghanaians to pray for the country and specifically for GoldBod as it seeks to regulate the gold industry, strengthen oversight and tackle illegal activities within the sector.
“We need to intercede for our country,” he urged.