Mahama Ayariga
Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, has defended the government’s small-scale mining and gold trading policy, arguing that the country has recorded massive financial gains from artisanal mining that far outweigh reported losses associated with the programme.
Addressing Parliament on the floor of the House, Mr. Ayariga said public debate had focused narrowly on claims that about GH¢2.4 billion (US$214 million) may have been lost under the operations of the Ghana Gold Board, without equal attention to the significant benefits the state has derived from the same policy.
“They are asking what may have been lost, but I am asking: what has been gained?” he stated.
According to the Majority Leader, official statistics show that in 2024, gold purchased by the state from artisanal and small-scale miners stood at 63.6 tonnes.
However, following the implementation of the Gold Board policy in 2025, gold sold to the state by small-scale miners surged to 103 tonnes, representing an increase of 39 tonnes.
Mr. Ayariga explained that with the value of one tonne of gold estimated at US$96.5 million, the additional 39 tonnes translated into about US$3.8 billion in revenue for the state.
“So if you say we lost US$214 million but gained US$3.8 billion, please do the mathematics,” he argued, questioning the basis for calls by the Minority for extensive parliamentary investigations into what he described as “a gargantuan gain to the Republic.”
He maintained that Parliament should not “waste its precious time” interrogating a policy that has delivered such substantial benefits to the national economy.
Beyond mining, the Majority Leader used the occasion to highlight broader signs of economic recovery, noting that Parliament reconvened at a time when Ghana had regained macroeconomic stability after a period of severe distress.
He cited improvements including single-digit inflation, easing interest rates, a stabilised currency and improving debt indicators.
Mr. Ayariga attributed these outcomes to difficult but necessary policy decisions taken by the government, supported by what he described as robust parliamentary oversight.
He stressed that Parliament remained an independent arm of the government, mandated to scrutinise, amend or reject executive actions in the national interest.
As the new session begins, he called on Members of Parliament to rise above partisan divisions and focus on converting economic stability into growth, jobs and improved living standards.
“Differences of opinion enrich our democracy, but they must never obstruct national progress,” he said, adding that Ghanaians expect solutions, not stalemate.
The Majority Leader also commended President John Dramani Mahama and the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) for what he described as disciplined leadership during a challenging period, saying the foundations for sustainable growth had been firmly laid.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House