Ghana’s former Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has rejected media reports suggesting that he accused the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) of recording losses of about 214 million dollars.
Speaking during a panel discussion on UTV, Mr Oppong Nkrumah clarified that he never stated that GoldBod, which is headed by its Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi, had itself made losses.
The issue was raised by the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, who asked Mr Oppong Nkrumah to explain comments he made at a press conference organised by the Minority Caucus in Parliament.
“You have said something that has made me happy. You said at your press conference you never said Sammy Gyamfi’s Gold Board has made losses,” Mr Opoku said.
In response, Mr Oppong Nkrumah insisted that his remarks had been misrepresented. He explained that what he referenced were losses arising from transactions involving the Bank of Ghana and GoldBod, not operational losses by the Gold Board itself.
“You can watch the entire video; I was the one who addressed the press conference. We raised four issues, and I listed them clearly,” he said.
“I said that we have made losses between 214 million dollars and 300 million dollars based on the interaction between the Bank of Ghana and GoldBod. And we even brought in a company nobody has heard of – Bawa Rock. That is what we said,” he added.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah stressed that he never directly accused GoldBod of making losses, describing claims to the contrary as inaccurate.
“People are just setting their own questions and answering them,” he said.
Mr Opoku subsequently agreed with the clarification, saying: “So at your press conference, you never said GoldBod has made losses; people are just saying it. I agree with you.”
The exchange comes amid heightened public debate over the operations and financial dealings of the Ghana Gold Board.
