Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday launched a national task force to combat illegal gold smuggling, unveiling a sweeping strategy to stem billions in lost revenue and reassert state control over the country’s most valuable export.
The task force, supported by both police and military units, is Ghana’s first coordinated nationwide crackdown on unregulated gold trading. It builds on the government’s creation earlier this year of GoldBod, a centralized authority aimed at tightening export oversight and improving transparency.
“Smugglers have been siphoning off our wealth and hiding the proceeds abroad,” Mahama said. “This initiative ensures that money stays in Ghana.”
The president announced that Ghana recorded 55.7 metric tonnes in official gold exports worth $5 billion between January and May 2025—a historic high. He credited the uptick to GoldBod’s reforms and the formalization of artisanal mining.
To encourage public participation, citizens who provide intelligence leading to gold seizures will receive 10% of the recovered value.
Looking ahead, Ghana plans to launch a gold traceability system and shift exclusively to refined gold exports by 2026, maximizing value capture. Plans are also underway for a certified assay laboratory and a manufacturing hub to boost domestic processing and quality assurance.
As gold prices have surged 25% this year—peaking at $3,500 per ounce in April—West African governments are racing to lock in greater returns. While military-led states have rewritten mining laws or seized assets outright, democracies like Ghana and Ivory Coast are pursuing reforms through updated contracts and higher royalties.
Mahama said the new measures aim not only to curb smuggling but also to “ensure Ghanaians benefit fully from the country’s mineral wealth.”
