Ban foreigners from buying and selling gold

The Chief Executive Officer of Agyaba Jewellery in Kumasi, Agyaba Kwame Afriyie, is calling for the enforcement of laws that ban foreigners from buying and selling gold in the country.

He lamented the sudden take over and control of the internal gold trade by the Chinese and Indians in clear contravention of the laws of the country.

Mr Afriyie stated that the business of buying and selling gold should exclusively be the preserve of Ghanaians and questioned why foreigners should be those to determine the price of gold in the country.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic at Obuasi during the inauguration of the Obuasi Gold Buyers Association, Agyaba Afriyie attributed the situation to the inability of the various state agencies to enforce the nation’s laws.

He said the phenomenon was unlawful and completely unacceptable, and therefore welcomed the formation of the association to help combat the practice.

The invasion of the sector by foreigners, with the alleged connivance of locals who reportedly sell their licence to them, he said, had led to the collapse of many Ghanaian gold businesses.

He appealed to the government to put in place measures to ensure that law enforcement agencies in the country would implement the laws to the letter.

The CEO was emphatic that if the gold business was streamlined, it stood the chance of creating a lot of decent jobs for people in the various categories of employment.

He, however, expressed worry at some of the negative activities of some mining operators, especially those who failed to reclaim the land after exploration.

“What do we stand to gain if we use dubious means to get all the money we want but destroy the immediate surroundings, farm lands and water bodies? he asked.

Mr Afriyie called for a stronger collaboration between the Minerals Commission, Chamber of Mines and the Precious Minerals Marketing Company in regulating the mining sector.