Afenyo-Markin vows to continue GoldBod scrutiny despite attacks

Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has maintained that personal attacks and allegations against him will not deter his efforts to scrutinise the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme (DGPP) and the involvement of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) in the transactions.

The Effutu MP’s comments come amid a growing public dispute between him and GoldBod Chief Executive Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, over the Minority’s examination of the programme.

Mr Afenyo-Markin has relied on an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report which stated that the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme recorded losses of approximately US$1.7 billion in 2025.

However, Mr Gyamfi has disputed the claim and accused the Minority Leader of engaging in what he described as a smear campaign against GoldBod. He also labelled Mr Afenyo-Markin an “extortionist” and challenged him to pursue legal action if he considered the allegation defamatory.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, August 22, 2026, Mr Afenyo-Markin said his examination of the programme was part of his constitutional duty to help Parliament exercise its oversight responsibilities.

“As Minority Leader in Parliament, my responsibility is to help Parliament discharge its constitutional oversight function. My actions have been guided solely by that responsibility,” he said.

He also dismissed suggestions that his questions about the programme were driven by improper motives or that he had acted outside the bounds of his parliamentary duties.

“I have neither acted from any improper motive nor conducted myself inappropriately in the performance of my duties,” he stated.

According to Mr Afenyo-Markin, officials subjected to legitimate scrutiny may sometimes respond with personal attacks and other allegations aimed at shifting public attention away from the substantive matters under investigation.

“In some cases, they may resort to false allegations, personal attacks and ridicule in an effort to shift attention from the substantive issues and make the person asking the questions the subject of controversy,” he said.

Despite the ongoing exchanges, the Minority Leader said he would not be distracted from the issues surrounding the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme.

“I remain focused,” he said.