
Ghana launches task force to curb gold smuggling losses
The task force is Ghana's first national anti-gold smuggling initiative. The government has previously launched efforts to sanitize artisanal mining but these were unsuccessful in curbing illegal extraction and preventing revenue losses that plague most African, opens new tab gold producers.
Ghana this year created the new gold board known as GoldBod to centralise gold trading. This has led to record official exports of 55.7 metric tonnes of gold valued at $5 billion in the first five months of 2025, Mahama said at the inauguration of the new task force.
"This is money that would not have come back to Ghana because traders would have taken it and kept the foreign exchange outside," Mahama said.
To encourage public cooperation with the new anti-smuggling task force, which will involve both soldiers and police officers, informants will receive 10% of the value of gold seized as a result of their tips, Mahama said.
Ghana plans to implement a nationwide gold traceability system and transition to refined gold exports by 2026, Mahama added. The country will also seek to capture more value from gold through an assay laboratory, certified by the International Organization for Standardization to guarantee quality, and a specialized manufacturing hub.
West African governments are striving to capture more revenue from surging commodity prices. Military-led nations are adopting aggressive policies, including rewriting mining codes, seizing assets and renegotiating contracts, while democracies like Ghana and Ivory Coast are pursuing measured reforms through higher royalties and enhanced revenue-sharing deals.
Gold prices have jumped 25% this year to date, and peaked at $3,500 per ounce in April, according to Reuters data.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
An attack on a Congolese church killed nearly 40 worshippers. Here's what to know
Nearly 40 people were killed Sunday in eastern Congo's Ituri province when rebels stormed a Catholic church during a vigil and opened fire on worshippers, including many women and children. At least 38 people were confirmed dead in the church while another five were killed in a nearby village. The victims included 19 men, 15 women and nine children. The attacks in Komanda town in the conflict-battered region were carried out by the Allied Democratic Force, a rebel group backed by the Islamic State that has mostly targeted villagers in eastern Congo and across the border in Uganda, the Congolese army said. The ADF arose from tensions in neighboring Uganda The ADF has roots in Uganda in the 1990s. Following the overthrow of long-term dictator, Idi Amin, a coalition of various discontent groups saw the new government of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni as anti-Muslim. Since then, the group has grown into a potent force but has been pushed out of Uganda's territories and now operates in the borderlands between Uganda and Congo, often targeting civilians in remote villages. ADF leaders pledged allegiance in 2019 to the Islamic State and have sought to establish an Islamic caliphate in Uganda. Rebels complicate conflicts in eastern Congo Eastern Congo has been beleaguered by protracted conflicts for decades, dating back to the Rwanda genocide in 1994. The conflicts have involved more than a hundred armed groups, according to the United Nations. The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group is the most prominent and launched a blitz of attacks in January in a major escalation culiminating in its capture of two key cities in the region. The Congolese and Ugandan armies have targeted the ADF in a joint military effort but analysts say it has done little, even as the rebels attack civilians. 'These joint operations have only succeeded in dispersing the ADF without really protecting civilians from their wrathful reprisals,' said Onesphore Sematumba, the Congo analyst at the International Crisis Group. This presents complex headaches for the overstretched Congolese army, which is occupied with advances by M23 and other rebel groups in the mineral-rich region. 'The ADF is taking more or less the advantage of the Congolese army's and international diplomacy's focus on the M23 further south without attracting too much attention,' Sematumba said. Attack targeted worshippers at midnight The church attack Sunday was the latest in a series of deadly ADF assaults on civilians, including earlier this month when the group killed 66 people in Ituri province. The attack happened July 11 around 1 a.m. during a vigil at a Catholic church in Komanda, civil society leaders and survivors. It followed an attack a few hours earlier in the nearby village of Machongani, where five people were killed and houses razed. The attackers were believed to have come from a stronghold about 12 kilometers (7 miles) from Komanda and fled before security forces arrived. Attack expected to worsen situation The attack Sunday has sent shockwaves around the Central African country, which is currently embroiled in numerous conflicts. The Congolese government condemned it as 'horrific" while the military described it as a 'large-scale massacre' carried out in revenge for recent security operations targeting the ADF. However, M23 used the attack to accuse the governemnt of 'blatant incompetence' in attempts to protect citizens. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country, MONUSCO, said the chuch killings will 'exacerbate an already extremely worrying humanitarian situation in the province.'


Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Ghana deploys soldiers to quell northern chieftancy dispute
ACCRA, July 28 (Reuters) - Ghana has deployed more soldiers to a northeastern region where a long-running conflict over chieftancy has fuelled recent violence, including attacks on schools, a spokesperson for President John Dramani Mahama said. The Bawku chieftaincy conflict, which goes back decades, has remained one of Ghana's most protracted ethnic flash points, often resulting in violent clashes and loss of lives. It is rooted in a dispute between the Mamprusi and Kusaasi ethnic groups over who can appoint a chief for the area. Mediation efforts by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, known as the Asantehene, Ghana's most revered traditional ruler, had "almost brought finality to the conflict" but recent killings have "necessitated drastic actions" to control it, presidential spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu said in his statement on Sunday. Violence in the area last week included the killing of a Kusaasi chief as well as three high school students by gunmen who stormed their campuses, according to local media reports. Ofosu did not specify on Sunday how many additional soldiers were being deployed to the area near the border with Burkina Faso. Some soldiers were already present in the area, but officials have not disclosed details. In a separate statement, Ofosu said a curfew would be in place from 1400 GMT until 0600 GMT "until further notice". He said the measure would help restore order and facilitate the evacuation of students.


BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Why US suspend visa processing for dia embassy for Niger Republic
Di United States Embassy for Niamey, Niger Republic, don suspend all visa processing and issuance until further notice. Tori by Reuters say a one internal memo from Washington on July 25 direct di embassy officials to stop all visa process until di US govment finish addressing dia "concerns wit di govment of Niger". Di directive go affect all immigrant and non-immigrant visa categories, but most diplomatic and official visas no go dey affected, according to one tok-tok pesin for US State Department. Dem no give any specific reason for dis move, but di State Department tok-tok pesin say "the Trump Administration dey focused on protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding di highest standards of national security and public safety thru our visa process". Remember say in June dis year President Donald Trump bin don ban 12 kontris, including seven for Africa, from entering di US, and also restrict visa from seven odas. Di African kontris for di list na: Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia and Sudan. While Burundi, Sierra Leone and Togo dey for di partial travel restriction list. Niger Republic no follow for any of dem. However, e clear say di relationship between di two kontris no dey smooth, especially since di military bin take ova power for Niger Republic in July 2023. In April of 2024, di military junta ask di US goment to withdraw dia troops for dia kontri, and by September, Washington say di withdrawal of almost 1000 US soldiers wey bin dey di kontri don dey complete. Sabi pipo say dis move don change di relations between di US and Niger well-well. But apart from dat, President Trump since e come into power for di second time, don put in place very hard policies about immigration. E order a nationwide campaign to arrest migrants who dey stay for di kontri illegally, and im Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operatives don conduct dozens of raids to catch and deport pipo. Even legal immigrants like pipo wit student visas and green card holders still fit chop deport if officials determine say dey support Palestinians or dey criticise Israel for di war in Gaza. Di Trump administration say such actions dey pro-Hamas and na threat to U.S. foreign policy. Last week, tori bin break say about 8000 Cameroon citizens fit chop deportation from di US afta one court bin approve for di Trump administration to remove di Temporary Protected Status wey Cameroonians bin dey enjoy. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tell tori pipo for May dis year say di number of visas wey im office don revoke dey in di thousands. Also di State Department under Rubio leadership don tight dia social media vetting for pipo wey dey apply for U.S visa. One Nigerian woman carry cry go social media for June dis year afta authorities deport am from di US wen dem go thru her instagram messages.