All permanent PMMC staff are still at post; only contract staff laid-off – Sammy Gyamfi
Acting Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Chief Executive and National Democratic Congress (NDC) Communications Officer Sammy Gyamfi has dismissed rumours that long‑serving employees at the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC) are being replaced by inexperienced hires.
Speaking on Channel One TV on Wednesday, 23 April 2025, Gyamfi stressed that every permanent PMMC worker remains on the payroll amid GoldBod’s ongoing restructuring of the state‑owned precious‑metals marketer. “So far, I’m the only new employee of GoldBod,” he said, adding that forthcoming hires will augment, not supplant, the existing workforce.
The staff cuts that sparked concern, he clarified, involved contract personnel—mainly stationed at PMMC’s satellite posts—whose roles duplicated functions now absorbed into GoldBod. “We had to make painful decisions,” Gyamfi noted, “but those let go were contract workers made redundant purely for operational reasons.”
GoldBod’s broader overhaul seeks to modernise Ghana’s downstream minerals trade, tighten revenue tracking and curb smuggling. By preserving PMMC’s permanent staff, the agency intends to retain institutional knowledge while upgrading systems and expanding services. Gyamfi said recruitment guidelines are being developed with the Public Services Commission and labour unions to ensure merit‑based appointments.
Current PMMC employees will receive training in GoldBod’s revamped procedures, which include digital assay tracking and enhanced customer support for small‑scale miners. Severance packages for laid‑off contract staff, he added, adhere to labour law, and those workers may reapply for new positions that match their skills.
In short, permanent PMMC employees remain secure, while only redundant contract posts were eliminated as GoldBod positions itself to boost transparency, efficiency and Ghana’s standing in the global precious‑metals market.
Looking ahead, Gyamfi revealed that GoldBod plans to roll out a phased automation programme over the next 12 months, integrating blockchain‑based traceability tools to verify the origin of gold exports and reduce revenue leakages. Internal task‑forces—made up largely of retained PMMC experts—will pilot the technology in Accra before extending it to regional purchasing centres.
In conclusion, Gyamfi insisted the restructuring should be viewed as a necessary recalibration rather than a purge, assuring stakeholders that institutional memory remains intact while inefficiencies are pruned away. By combining seasoned PMMC professionals with strategic new hires and cutting‑edge technology, GoldBod aims to build a leaner, more transparent apparatus capable of maximising Ghana’s mineral wealth for the benefit of workers, the industry and the wider economy.
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