Sammy Gyamfi Slams Afenyo-Markin Over Heated Comments

Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, has rejected claims that he insulted Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin during a recent exchange on GoldBod losses. Speaking on Newsfile on JoyNews on Saturday, August 22, Gyamfi said his response was justified by remarks made against him.

"I Never Insulted Him"

Sammy Gyamfi said Alexander Afenyo-Markin’s claims regarding the alleged losses associated with GoldBod were serious and warranted a response. Gyamfi maintained that he did not insult the Minority Leader but was responding to what he described as personal and unfounded allegations about his role in GoldBod’s financial affairs.

"I never insulted him. And nobody can show me one word that I used that was insulting," Gyamfi said, invoking Newton’s Third Law of Motion to explain his response. He argued that Afenyo-Markin’s comments went beyond ordinary political criticism because they sought to associate him with serious wrongdoing and questioned his ability to meet conditions under Ghana’s International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.

Afenyo-Markin Got the Response He Deserved

Gyamfi said such claims were personal and required a strong response. "Afenyo-Markin got the response he deserved," Gyamfi stated, defending his exchange with the Minority Leader. He claimed that Afenyo-Markin had not challenged the substance of his claims or threatened legal action over the remarks.

A Call for Scrutiny

Gyamfi also dismissed suggestions that he had incurred losses in his current role, saying he should not be held responsible for financial obligations that do not relate to him. He questioned Afenyo-Markin’s own record while serving in leadership positions at state-owned utility companies, citing cumulative losses of $3.3 billion at Ghana Water Limited between 2017 and 2024 and later oversaw losses of $8.2 billion at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in 2024.

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Gyamfi said he was raising the figures not as an insult but to demonstrate that Afenyo-Markin, like any other public official, is also open to scrutiny and criticism. "Just like he can criticise me, he’s also not beyond reproach," he said, arguing that if Afenyo-Markin could question his record, he should equally be prepared to have his own record examined publicly.

A Consummate Democrat

Gyamfi described himself as a strong believer in political debate and said he was not afraid of criticism. "I’m a consummate democrat. I eat and drink debates because I’m not worried," he said, maintaining that his comments should be understood within the context of the political exchange and not characterised as personal insults.

Source: JOY