By Daniel Bampoe
A storm of controversy is engulfing the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration following the circulation of a video showing Sammy Gyamfi, the party’s Communications Director and the Managing Director of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC), lavishly spraying bundles of U.S. dollars on Evangelist Patricia Asiedua, popularly known as Nana Agradaa.
The video, which surfaced online over the weekend, shows Gyamfi exiting a new black Toyota Landcruiser V8 at a funeral, casually dishing out what is estimated to be over $2,000 in cash.
Footage further reveals Agradaa—once a fierce critic of the NDC—posing gleefully with Gyamfi and flaunting the cash in a subsequent social media post.
The display has ignited fierce public backlash, fueled questions about the source of the funds, and triggered debate over the ethical conduct of government officials barely five months into their term.
Defining Moment Gone Wrong
Sammy Gyamfi’s conduct directly contradicts the recently launched Code of Conduct for Public Appointees, spearheaded by President John Dramani Mahama, which was launched last week, outlining clear expectations around modesty, transparency, and the responsible use of public office.
The Code was meant to represent a break from past excesses and rebuild public trust in political leadership. Yet, Gyamfi—a visible face of the NDC’s communication machinery—appears to have undermined this pledge with what critics describe as “a reckless show of ill-gotten wealth.”
The act has sparked deep unease even within NDC ranks. Party grassroots members, many of whom remain jobless and disillusioned by the slow pace of economic recovery, are questioning how a newly appointed public official can display such opulence.
Their frustration is amplified by the context: a government that inherited what it described as a “criminally mismanaged” economy is now seen allocating vast sums of public money to a controversial gold buying monopoly.
Agradaa New Political Ties
Agradaa herself is no stranger to controversy. A former spiritualist turned evangelist, she was suspended in March 2024 by the Rapha Faith International Ministerial Network over allegations of deceptive fundraising and unorthodox practices.
Once an outspoken opponent of the NDC, her newfound alignment with senior figures in the ruling party, capped by her visible closeness to Gyamfi, has left many in disbelief.
Her decision to film and publish the cash-spraying event has intensified scrutiny, casting her not only as a controversial religious figure but now also a symbol of political opportunism.
Defence
Reacting to the backlash, Eric Adjei, CEO of National Entrepreneurship Innovation Programme (NEIP), a known Sammy Gyamfi’s boy defended his master’s actions, claiming that Agradaa harassed Gyamfi for money and photos at the funeral.
He argued that Sammy Gyamfi gave out the cash purely out of generosity, stating, “You kept pestering and harassing Sammy Gyamfi right from the funeral grounds to his car for a picture and money… Only for you to whisk the money away, record it and post it on social media. If this is not witchcraft, what is it?”
Gyamfi’s GoldBOD Role Under the Microscope
The backlash is compounded by Sammy Gyamfi’s central role in the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBOD), a newly launched government initiative that has received an eyebrow-raising $279 million in funding.
According to the Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson’s 2025 budget, this fund is designed to enable the Board to purchase and export a minimum of three tonnes of gold weekly in a bid to shore up foreign exchange reserves.
However, critics argue that GoldBOD duplicates the mandate of the PMMC, established under the Precious Minerals Marketing Corporation Act, 1989 (PNDCL 219), which already regulates the assaying, grading, buying, and selling of Ghana’s precious minerals. Sammy Gyamfi is the Managing Director of PMMC.
If the GoldBOD assumes a monopoly, as Sammy Gyamfi himself suggested in a viral interview, it could displace existing small-scale miners and sellers—many of whom operate under PMMC licenses.
“The Gold Board will be the sole buyer and exporter of gold in Ghana,” Gyamfi declared. “Every gold mine in Ghana will have to sell to the Gold Board.”
This revelation has sparked fears of an emerging political and economic oligarchy where strategic resources are monopolized by politically connected individuals.
Already, reports suggest some licenses issued to small-scale miners under the previous Akufo-Addo government have been revoked.
Agyapa vs. GoldBOD: Double Standards?
The GoldBOD arrangement has drawn inevitable comparisons to the much-maligned Agyapa Royalties deal proposed under the Akufo-Addo administration.
That initiative—vehemently opposed by the NDC—sought to raise non-debt capital through royalty-backed investment but was derided as a conduit for enriching political elites.
Now, many are asking: What makes GoldBOD any different?
Under Agyapa, 75.6% of royalties from selected gold mines would have been channeled through a government-owned company with public listings on foreign stock exchanges.
Though legally structured, it was ultimately scrapped following massive public backlash and NDC-led protests branding it as “a product of the Akyem Mafia.”
Today, observers are questioning if the Mahama administration is falling into the very trap it once condemned.
Government Priorities Under Fire
The broader issue, however, is about government priorities.
In a time when critical sectors like education and agriculture are underfunded—most notably the Free SHS policy being quietly defunded—many are questioning why a cash-strapped nation would commit nearly $280 million to gold procurement.
Meanwhile, former MP for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak has weighed in on the issue, arguing that Agradaa should be compelled by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to pay gift tax on the money received.
“It’s the law,” he stated. “No one is above it, not even Agradaa.”
Ghana’s gift tax laws require recipients of large financial gifts to declare them to the GRA and pay the applicable percentage—something that public disclosures like this are expected to trigger.
Growing Pressure on the NDC
While the party has not yet issued an official response, internal pressure is mounting. Party elders and strategists are said to be concerned about the damage this could cause to the NDC’s reformist image, especially with Election 2024 wounds still fresh and expectations high among supporters.
In a political landscape already marred by perceptions of elitism and fiscal irresponsibility, the Sammy Gyamfi-Agradaa episode has added fresh fuel to the fire—and the full political cost may only be beginning to show.
Elites and the Poverty Gap
For some, the Sammy Gyamfi incident symbolizes a deeper rot: the capture of national wealth by political elites.
Social media reactions have been swift and harsh, with comparisons drawn to the Cecilia Dapaah saga—where the discovery of unexplained cash in a private residence led to her resignation under the previous regime.
“Dapaah was crucified. Today, Sammy Gyamfi sprays dollars in public and gets defended. Ghana deserves better,” one user tweeted.
