The troubles facing GoldBod CEO Sammy Gyamfi appear to be deepening, as Professor Ephraim Avea Nsoh of the University of Education, Winneba, has strongly criticized his actions.
Commenting on the alleged $800 gift to Nana Agradaa, Prof. Nsoh characterized the gesture as a reflection of immaturity and a clear sign of inexperience and youthful exuberance.
Speaking in an interview with Vaultz News, Prof. Nsoh expressed concern over the decision to entrust such a sensitive role to a relatively inexperienced young individual.
He argued that appointments of this nature require seasoned judgment, warning that young appointees may be susceptible to the temptations and privileges that accompany high office.
“In terms of best practice, in terms of responsibility as an appointee, he overstepped his area, which I think is rather unfortunate. There are values. In fact, even culturally, there are values. At his age – I understand he is just 35 years old, how can you be giving over $1000 to somebody in public? Even here, by our cultural norms, it is not accepted”.
Professor Ephraim Avea
He asserted that Sammy Gyamfi ought to have exercised better judgment, recognizing that holding such a high-profile and sensitive position comes with immense responsibility.
In his view, the young CEO should have acted with greater caution and avoided the optics of distributing foreign currency publicly.
Questioning the rationale behind the gesture, he asked pointedly why one would hand over dollars to a woman they barely know or have only heard about — even if she holds views contrary to the party’s. “Is that how one seeks to win someone over?”
He further noted that the mere sight of the appointee with dollars in his car and distributing some of it raises concerns.
Such actions, he warned, could lead to public speculation that the individual is leveraging his official position to handle large sums of money, potentially fueling suspicions of corruption or abuse of office.
Youth Appointments To Be Matched With Maturity
A notable feature of the current National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration is its commitment to youth inclusion, evident in the many key roles entrusted to young individuals to support national development.
While this effort is commendable and reflects the value of engaging younger generations in governance, Professor Ephraim Avea Nsoh cautioned against rushing appointments to highly sensitive positions.
In his view, although Sammy Gyamfi meets the basic qualifications for his current role, it might have been more prudent for him to begin in a less demanding post.
This, Prof. Avea Nsoh argued, would have provided him with the opportunity to gradually build the necessary experience and gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of public office—thereby avoiding incidents like the one currently under scrutiny.
“Yes, it is good to have a lot of youth in it, because when you have youth in the system, then it means that there is a lot of innovation, there is creativity. There is a lot of excitement, and there is the will to try and catch up.
“Of course, when you are also doing that (appointing), you must tread cautiously. What I should be looking for when appointing youth is to look for maturity.”
Professor Ephraim Avea
Prof. Ephraim Avea Nsoh emphasized that rather than assigning young people to high-stakes roles, the government should place them in positions that allow for growth and mentorship, where they can gradually build the competence needed for greater responsibilities.
He stressed the importance of young appointees learning under the guidance of seasoned leaders who understand the intricacies of public administration.
According to him, this kind of mentorship is crucial if the youth are to make meaningful and lasting contributions in their respective offices.
Prof. Avea Nsoh also directed some criticism at the President, stating that as a veteran politician, he should exercise greater discretion in selecting individuals for public appointments.
He argued that thorough vetting could prevent controversies like the one currently surrounding the GoldBod CEO.
Calls for Reprimand, Not Removal
Some members of the Ghanaian public are of the view that Sammy Adu Gyamfi should either resign voluntarily or have his appointment revoked entirely to send a strong message to other public office holders.
However, Prof. Avea Nsoh contended that while the incident was regrettable, outright dismissal would be too severe a response.
“I don’t think that he should be sacked, but there should be some stern caution, and reprimanding should be the way to go. Because it will be too harsh to sack him.”
Professor Ephraim Avea
Meanwhile, although the Ghanaian cedi has experienced relative stability against the US dollar over the past three months, Prof. Avea Nsoh acknowledged that the NDC’s policies may have played a role but should not receive sole credit.
He emphasized that the currency’s steady performance is influenced by a combination of global factors, including the ongoing tariff tensions between the United States and China, a shift by some toward offloading the dollar, and declining investor confidence in the U.S. currency.
He attributed these broader economic developments as contributing factors to the cedi’s current strength, which sees it trading at approximately GHS 12.52 to the dollar.
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