Ghana gold trade faces regulatory resistance, warns Archbishop

Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, General Overseer of Action Chapel International, has raised alarms regarding the integrity of Ghana’s gold trade and the regulatory challenges facing the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod).

During a church service on August 16, 2026, Duncan-Williams claimed that a “very powerful movement” of well-established individuals is actively resisting efforts to regulate the gold sector and enforce existing laws. He noted that some buyers possess documentation for illegal gold purchases that exceed the volumes officially recorded by the Ghanaian government.

He expressed concern that the lack of official records for these transactions highlights failures in the country’s regulatory systems. Furthermore, Duncan-Williams warned that the politicization of law enforcement and the failure to curb illegal mining are leading to the destruction of water bodies and farmlands, potentially jeopardizing the future of the nation’s natural resources.