PMMC, Sammy Gyamfi, has met Small-Scale Miners, Gold Dealers and Jewellers in Kumasi.

The participants lauded the Goldbod initiative of President John Dramani Mahama as the game-changer urgently required to restructure and streamline the gold trading industry for the optimisation of national benefits across the gold value chain.

A statement issued by the PMMC after the meeting said the draft Bill for the establishment of the Goldbod had gone through extensive stakeholder consul­tations and had so far received the approval of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice. "The only approvals out­standing are that of Cabinet and Parliament, which the Ministry of Finance and Technical Commit­tee hope to secure in the next couple of days," the statement indicated.

The statement further stated that the Goldbod BWill when passed into law, would take over the PMMC as a going concern, albeit with enhanced objects, powers and functions, and shall operate with the primary objec­tive of generating forex for the country and supporting the gold reserve accumulation programme of the Bank of Ghana.