'Stop touting GoldBod achievements' – Cadman Mills to Sammy Gyamfi

Economist and brother of the late former President John Evans Atta Mills, Cadman Mills, has criticised the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, following his celebratory claim that the institution has surpassed its 2025 small-scale gold export target.

In a post on X on December 24, 2025, Sammy Gyamfi claimed that his office had generated over $10 billion in foreign exchange for the country, describing the achievement as “unprecedented.”

Cadman Mills questions GoldBod's 'uprecedented achievements'

“Yesterday, the Ghana Gold Board surpassed its 2025 small-scale gold export target of 100 tons, generating over $10 billion dollars in foreign exchange for the country. Unprecedented,” he posted.

In response to the claim, Cadman Mills warned that the applause masks a deeper national crisis.

He argued that what is truly unprecedented is not the revenue figure, but the scale of environmental destruction unfolding alongside it.

According to him, the constant promotion of export milestones ignores the ecological cost of small-scale mining, which is widely linked to polluted rivers, degraded farmlands, and risks to community health.

Mills acknowledged that public agitation over galamsey has quieted in recent months, partly due to what he described as the government’s “good faith (but still wanting) attempts” to address the problem. However, he cautioned against interpreting the silence as relief or approval.

“AND UNPRECEDENTED DEVASTATION OF OUR WATERBODIES AND ENVIRONMENT. The clamor over small scale mining may have died down somewhat in recognition of government's good faith (but still wanting) attempts to deal with Galamsey.

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“However, our deep anxieties remain. SO PLEASE STOP REMINDING US OF THE LURKING THREAT TO OUR VERY SURVIVAL. STOP TOUTING THE "UNPRECEDENTED ACHIEVEMENTS" OF THE GOLDBOD!! They ring very hollow,” he posted on X.

Read the post below:

AND UNPRECEDENTED DEVASTATION OF OUR WATERBODIES AND ENVIRONMENT. The clamor over small scale mining may have died down somewhat in recognition of government's good faith (but still wanting) attempts to deal with Galamsey. However, our deep anxieties remain. SO PLEASE STOP…

— Cadman Atta Mills (@CadmanAttaMills) December 24, 2025