GoldBod Taskforce to wear body cameras- Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has announced that every officer in Ghana’s newly inaugurated GoldBod Taskforce will be required to wear body cameras during operations, in what he described as a decisive step to promote transparency and curb corruption in the country’s lucrative but troubled gold sector.
Speaking at the official launch of the taskforce on Tuesday, July 8, at the National Security Secretariat in Accra, President Mahama said the initiative marks a firm national commitment to stamping out illegal gold smuggling and restoring integrity to mineral enforcement.
The decision to outfit officers with body cameras, he added, is part of a wider plan to ensure that all field activity is monitored, recorded, and reviewable.
“Every member of the task force will operate under strict oversight. All officers will wear body cameras in every operation they undertake,” he stated.
The GoldBod Taskforce, made up of personnel drawn from National Security, the Ghana Armed Forces, and other key agencies, has undergone weeks of intensive training.
President Mahama said every officer selected passed through background vetting, polygraph testing, and legal orientation on Ghana’s Minerals and Mining Act (Act 1040).
Officers have also completed anti-corruption drills and high-pressure team-building simulations to prepare them for what the president called an essential national assignment.
“They’ve also completed intensive team-building and anti-corruption training. The establishment of this task force demonstrates our administration’s readiness to act decisively.”
To tighten operational oversight further, President Mahama stated that no mission would proceed without formal approval from the taskforce’s Chief Executive Officer.
All vehicles used in the field will be GPS-tracked and monitored in real time, allowing command centres to supervise movements and ensure accountability from start to finish.
The president emphasised that these controls are not symbolic but structural safeguards designed to prevent abuse and eliminate impunity.
Beyond the surveillance mechanisms, Mahama also introduced a public-facing incentive system aimed at encouraging whistleblowing. Citizens who report illegal activity that leads to the recovery of gold or funds will receive 10 percent of the retrieved value.
“Whistleblower channels are in place. If you blow the whistle and gold or cash is retrieved, you will receive 10% of the value,” he said.
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