Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has called for a thorough review of the Gold Board Bill, citing several ambiguities and misrepresentations in its current form.
Speaking in Parliament on Friday, 29 March, he urged lawmakers to refine the bill before its passage into law.
“The memorandum talks about a four-license regime, but when you go into the text of the bill, there are about ten of them. This appears to be some kind of misrepresentation,” he said.
“I believe we need to look at these license regimes properly because they are fraught with huge ambiguity.”
The MP also highlighted concerns regarding the transportation and storage of gold, which, he noted, are not well-defined in the bill.
“If we are minded to pass this bill into an act, I suggest that we need to do more work on it. Our side has shown true support for the passage of this bill.
“However, we need to sanitise it properly and probably hold more consultations because we shouldn’t be in a hurry,” he said.
He acknowledged the importance of regulating the gold sector but insisted that the bill must be clear and comprehensive.
“The idea is noble, and we all want to support it, but the ambiguity and misrepresentation in the text of the bill are too much. These issues need to be addressed,” he added.
He stressed that key issues, such as the distinction between private and commercial storage of gold, must be clarified before the bill progresses further.
“For instance, in terms of transportation and storage of gold, the bill does not distinguish between private and commercial storage. All these pose a lot of ambiguity,” he explained.
Emphasising the historical significance of gold in Ghana, he urged Parliament to take a cautious approach.
“Gold has been a very important and precious mineral in this country since time immemorial. If we want to come up with a law to regulate it, we should do things properly.
“Let’s hasten slowly to ensure that, at the end of the day, all ambiguities and concerns are addressed before we move forward as a nation.”
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