We must improve border security to check gold smuggling – Steve Manteaw

Co-chair of the Ghana Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, Dr. Steve Manteaw, is advocating for the creation of security points to check the illegal exports of gold from the country. 

Speaking at a press briefing organized by the Civil Society Organisations Alliance, Dr. Manteaw disclosed that, due to the burdensome nature of transporting gold to the Kotoka International Airport for export, most miners have resorted to smuggling the gold through the many exit points across the country.

Dr. Steve Manteaw said the practice is leading to great revenue losses for the state. 

He is therefore calling on political parties to take into consideration, drafting critical policy reforms, especially in the buildup to the 2024 general elections, to stop such leakages and improve Ghana’s revenue.

“We found that the biggest risk in the [gold business] chain comes from the fact that in Ghana, the only point through which you can export small-scale gold is the Kotoka International Airport, yet we have miners operating in areas like Bole, which shares a border with La Côte d’Ivoire.

“The [miners] may not want to come all the way to Accra to send their gold out so what they do is just cross the border with the gold, which amounts to a lot of potential revenue.

“It, therefore, makes sense that we ensure that we have a safe facility at all the major exit and entry points of the country so that we are able to track the export of gold across our borders.”

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