Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has accused the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, of attempting to divert public attention from losses incurred by the Bank of Ghana (BoG).
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its recent report, stated that the significant scaling-up of the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme in 2025 resulted in losses of more than US$1.7 billion, equivalent to 1.5% of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The development has prompted the Minority Caucus and other opposition figures to question the management of the programme and accuse Mr Gyamfi of contributing to the losses.
Mr Gyamfi has strongly rejected the claims and, in a rebuttal to Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, accused him of being an “extortionist”.
However, Mr Oppong Nkrumah has described the extortion allegations as a diversionary tactic aimed at shifting public attention from questions surrounding accountability in the management of Ghana’s gold resources and central bank finances.
Speaking on Nhyria FM’s Kro Yi Mu Nsem, the former Information Minister said Ghanaians should remain focused on demands for transparency and accountability rather than being distracted by what he described as “unfounded allegations”.
“Sammy Gyamfi is distracting Ghanaians from the GoldBod and Bank of Ghana losses with his allegations of extortion against the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin,” Mr Oppong Nkrumah told host Barima Kofi Dowson.
He maintained that the allegations lacked substance and were intended to tarnish the reputation of the Minority Leader while shifting attention away from scrutiny over the management of the programme.
Mr Afenyo-Markin has called for urgent action over the reported losses, pointing to unresolved concerns about the GoldBod’s operations and accountability.
He has argued that the losses raise questions about financial prudence, transparency and value for money in the management of the country’s gold resources.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah described Mr Gyamfi’s response as a personal attack and expressed concern over what he said was a pattern of targeting individuals who raise questions about accountability.
“This has been their tactic. If Ghanaians will recall, when I came out with the Bank of Ghana’s losses and demanded investigations, they attacked me personally, saying that I am not an economist or financial expert. They did the same to Abena Osei-Asare,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has sued Sammy Gyamfi, Eric Adjei and two media organisations, including the Multimedia Group, over the “extortionist” allegations.
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