The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has announced the deportation of three Indian nationals and the prosecution of three other foreign nationals as it begins strict enforcement of the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140), aimed at regulating Ghana’s gold trade and curbing illegal smuggling.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, May 14, GoldBod spokesperson Prince Minkah explained that the fate of the six suspects—arrested in separate operations in the Ashanti Region and Anyinam—was determined by the timing of their arrest in relation to the April 30 enforcement date of the new law.
The three Indian nationals, arrested before the Act came into force, will be repatriated to their home country. While their actions breached existing gold trade regulations, they do not fall under the punitive scope of the new law.
“They will be repatriated to their home country to reunite with their families,” Minkah said, clarifying the decision not to prosecute.
However, the three other suspects, arrested after the April 30 deadline in Anyinam, will face prosecution under the new legal framework.
These individuals were caught with gold counting machines and large sums of U.S. dollars, which have been confiscated and will serve as evidence in their case.
“If you’re a foreigner and caught trading gold illegally, you will face the law,” Minkah warned, adding that the Ghana Gold Board Act now reserves the right to trade gold locally exclusively for the Board.
Act 1140, passed earlier this year, granted a transition period for foreign operators to exit Ghana’s domestic gold market.
That grace period officially ended on April 30. Minkah emphasized that the law is intended to restore integrity to Ghana’s gold sector, reduce smuggling, and ensure that the full value of the country’s mineral wealth benefits Ghanaians.
Going forward, GoldBod says it is ramping up surveillance and intensifying collaboration with national security agencies to ensure full compliance.
“The rules are clear. Foreigners can no longer operate in our local gold trade. There will be no excuses moving forward,” Minkah stressed.
