Sammy Gyamfi, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, has been bestowed with one of the highest traditional honours in Gonjaland — a recognition that underscores the growing national significance of GoldBod’s work and the personal esteem in which its leader is held beyond the corridors of Accra’s financial institutions.
The honour was conferred on Thursday, June 4, 2026, during a formal courtesy visit by the Paramount Chief of Buipe, Buipewura Abdulai Jinapor II, to the GoldBod head office in Accra.
In a ceremony steeped in tradition, Buipewura Abdulai Jinapor II — who also serves as Vice President of the National House of Chiefs — personally adorned Gyamfi with a traditional smock before decorating him with a symbolic spear medal, which he described as the highest honour the Gonja Kingdom can bestow.
The spear carries deep historical weight in Gonjaland. It was the weapon wielded by Ndewura Jakpa, the legendary founder of the Gonja Kingdom, during the conquests through which he established the territory. To be honoured with its symbol is to be recognised as someone who has served and advanced a cause worthy of that legacy.
The Buipewura made clear that the recognition was not ceremonial. He had been closely tracking the progress of GoldBod since its establishment, and the visit was his way of formally acknowledging what he described as Gyamfi’s leadership, humility, selflessness, and tangible contribution to Ghana’s economic transformation.
“On behalf of my traditional area, we encourage you to continue serving Ghana diligently. The work you are doing is commendable and the impact is evident,” he stated.
Beyond the honour itself, the Buipewura’s visit carried a forward-looking agenda. As the traditional ruler of a region endowed with vast arable lands, extensive water resources, and conditions well-suited to large-scale farming, he was keen to explore what GoldBod’s growing institutional influence could mean for investment and industrial development in the Savannah Region.
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He highlighted agriculture and agro-industrial ventures as areas of particular promise — sectors where the region’s natural advantages remain largely untapped — and urged Gyamfi to engage with those opportunities as part of a broader national development conversation.
The Buipewura also offered a candid assessment of the GoldBod CEO’s longer-term potential, describing him as a young leader whose dedication, humility, and commitment to national service had earned him admiration well beyond his immediate sphere.
Receiving the honour, Gyamfi expressed genuine gratitude while reaffirming the commitments that appeared to have earned it. He pledged to continue strengthening GoldBod’s contribution to Ghana’s economy across its core mandates — gold reserve accumulation, foreign exchange generation, value addition, and the promotion of responsible mining practices.
On agriculture, he aligned firmly with the Buipewura’s priorities, noting that the sector sits at the centre of President Mahama’s economic transformation agenda. He pointed to ongoing government efforts to establish agricultural mechanisation centres across the country as evidence of that commitment.
Gyamfi also drew attention to GoldBod Jewellery Limited as a model of the kind of industrialisation the Buipewura had called for — an initiative that is already creating employment while transforming Ghana’s gold from a raw export commodity into a higher-value finished product.