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Gold Board places GH¢1 million bounty on suspected gold smugglers
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The Ghana Gold Board has announced a GH¢1 million bounty on each of four fugitives believed to be behind a major gold smuggling syndicate.
Chief Executive of the Board, Sammy Gyamfi, told journalists in Accra that the syndicate is the most elaborate uncovered since the Gold Board was established.
He said the suspects identified as Rafik Mohamed Nandoli, also known as “Salaam,” Indian national Afsar Puthalan, and two Ghanaians, Abdul Karim and Sadiq Abubakar played key roles in moving large quantities of gold out of the country illegally.
According to Mr. Gyamfi, the syndicate financed licensed traders and used couriers to buy gold in mining areas.
The gold was then transported to Accra, where it was smuggled across borders into Togo and other destinations.
He revealed that investigations showed that Rafmore Gold Limited, owned by Salaam, had bought over 100 kilograms of gold worth more than GH¢120 million between June and August 2025, even though the company was not licensed by the Gold Board.
The Chief Executive explained that the syndicate’s operations were uncovered following a tip-off in August this year.
On August 27, 2025, a courier, Abdul Razak, was arrested at Winneba Junction with three packs of gold weighing 8.5 kilograms, valued at about GH¢10.2 million at the time. Razak confessed to being recruited by his cousin, Abdul Karim, and admitted to transporting gold for just GH¢500 per trip.
Further investigations led to the arrest of a licensed trader, Bernard Nkrumah of NK Benak Enterprise, and a Chinese national, Arin Liao. The three were arraigned in court on 5th September 2025 and later granted bail with strict conditions.
Mr. Gyamfi confirmed that Rafmore Gold Limited and NK Benak Enterprise had since been shut down, and their licenses suspended.
He warned that any licensed gold dealer who sold gold without proper receipts, or to unapproved persons, would face suspension, fines, or criminal prosecution.
He stressed that the Board was determined to fight illegal gold trading without fear or favor, regardless of the individuals’ political connections or influence.
“We are working with Interpol and national security agencies to track the four suspects, who we believe are hiding in countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, Dubai, or Togo,” he said.
He urged the public to assist by providing credible information that could lead to the arrest of the fugitives, noting that hotlines had been provided for this purpose.
Mr. Gyamfi assured that the suspects already in custody would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, while the Board continues its efforts to protect Ghana’s gold resources from criminal networks.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Dome Kwabenya Member of Parliament (MP), Elikplim Akurugu, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 toured ongoing road rehabilitation projects in the constituency to assess the progress of work.
The tour was undertaken with the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ga East, officials of the Ga East Municipal Assembly and engineers.
The team inspected ongoing works on the Grand Star Hotel-Nama Road at Musuku, the Ashongman Pure Water Road and road projects at Taifa.
Speaking after the inspection, Ms Akurugu said the visit was to monitor the projects after sod was cut a few months ago.
She said she was impressed with the progress made by the contractors, noting that some of the projects were about 80 per cent complete.
According to her, drainage and gutter construction had largely been completed, leaving the asphalt surfacing to be done.
“We are impressed with the work going on,” she said, while commending the contractors for the quality of work.
The MP, however, expressed concern over delays caused by utility service providers, particularly the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Water Limited.
She explained that the relocation of electricity poles, transformers and water pipelines had delayed some aspects of the road works.
Ms Akurugu said the Ga East Municipal Assembly would engage the service providers to help speed up the projects.
She thanked residents for their patience during the construction period and assured them that the temporary inconvenience would soon give way to better roads.
The MP said she would continue to lobby for more road projects to improve movement within the constituency.
The Roads Engineer of the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Daniel Ochere, said the inspection formed part of the assembly’s routine monitoring of the projects.
He said the contractors were working according to schedule and were expected to complete the projects within the 18-month contract period.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Lauritz Knudsen Electrical and Automation, a unit of Schneider Electric, has deepened its investment in Ghana with a showcase of new low voltage switchgear, industrial and agricultural automation solutions.
The company with over 70 years of engineering experience, brought together partners, distributors and customers at Nova Plus in Accra to unveil its expanded portfolio tailored for the Ghanaian market.
The move comes as Ghana prioritises grid modernisation and industrialisation.
Power outages cost the economy an estimated $2.1 billion annually, about two per cent of Gross Domestic Product affecting real estate, agriculture, manufacturing and other sectors.
The Head of Strategy, Business Development, Pricing and LK MEA International Operations, Dallal Slimani said the company’s technology was built to suit Ghana’s environment.
“Our low voltage switchgear is engineered to keep critical operations running through exactly the kind of instability Ghanaian businesses deal with every day, whether that’s a mining camp running off-grid or a hospital that cannot afford a single second of downtime,” she said, adding that “We’re bringing technology refined through years of working alongside our partners here.”
According to her, Lauritz Knudsen solutions were critical across mining, oil and gas, manufacturing, healthcare, data centers, and real estate in hubs like Tema and Accra.
She said her outfit expected demand to grow as the Energy Commission rolled out regulations for EV charging infrastructure.
“With an existing distribution network in Ghana, Lauritz Knudsen plans to expand further into medium voltage switchgear, smart energy management, and solar,” Ms Slimani stated.
She said the company had supported over 50GW of solar capacity globally.
The Business Development Manager of Lauritz Knudsen in charge of West Africa, Valentine Mbachu, noted that unreliable power directly impacts productivity.
“A $2.1 billion annual loss isn’t an abstract figure, it’s downtime on factory floors, spoiled inventory, and stalled investment decisions. We’ve built strong partnerships in Ghana because this market has the industrial ambition to grow fast,” he said.
BY EDEM TSORTORME
