Social advocate Prof. David Millar says President John Dramani Mahama must take punitive action against Sammy Gyamfi, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Gold Board (Goldbod) over his US dollar gift to evangelist Patricia Asiedua Asiamah popularly known as Agradaa.
The Acting Goldbod CEO was seen in video recordings that have gone viral handing out monies in US dollar denomination to the self-acclaimed Christian clergywoman.
He has since apologized for what he described as an “unfortunate act of indiscretion” but said, “this was simply a kind gesture to a fellow human being, in line with my daily and life-long custom of lending a helping hand to people in need”.
But some including the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) insist he must be fired and investigated for possible financial crimes.
Speaking Monday on State of Our Nation on Dreamz FM, Prof. Millar said although he does not see anything wrong with Gyamfi’s kind gesture, President Mahama must crack the whip in accordance with the Code of Conduct for his appointees he (the President) has established.
He argued that sparing the Acting CEO will portray the President as a leader, who doesn’t abide by his own rules.
“I keep saying that the repercussions of not doing, of wavering, for me, is a suicide. So when do you apply? When a non-party person or somebody who hasn’t fought for the government or somebody who is not young and is old, when?”
Although the Code of Conduct the President launched on May 5, 2025 does not explicitly forbid an appointee handing out such gifts to others, it enjoins government officials to “perform his/her duties and manage his/her personal affairs in a manner that can stand the closest public scrutiny”.
Prof. Millar said the gesture itself was not wrong but the public display of cash and the fact that it was in foreign denomination betrayed the sensitive office Sammy Gyamfi occupies.
“The temptation for people to bring all sorts of bribes and all sorts of things to turn you around is so big that when you start like this, they say, ‘don’t worry, that Gold Board, we are going to penetrate it’.”
“They’ve gone around and told gold companies who used to sell all their produce that they should pay 30% to you. They have agreed, some with difficulty and so on. Then already, you start spending dollars”.
He suggests the President fires him from his current position and appoint him later to another position when the matter dies out.
“You can reward him differently. Must he be in this place? I’ve known people who have not been in active frontline of governance and they are better rewarded than those who are in the forefront. So I’ll just take him out quietly, give me a few days to dry up and then if there’s another place to put him, I’ll put him.”
