The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has withdrawn its request to acquire about three acres of land belonging to the Department of Parks and Gardens at Cantonments in Accra for the construction of its permanent headquarters.
The decision follows public criticism of a proposed arrangement under which GoldBod would have secured the land while undertaking the construction of a new administrative headquarters and ancillary facilities for Parks and Gardens.
GoldBod Chief Executive Officer, Samuel Gyamfi, formally communicated the withdrawal in a letter dated September 4, 2026, addressed to the Director-General of the Department of Parks and Gardens.
“We wish to formally withdraw the said proposal forthwith. Accordingly, the proposal contained in our letter of August 20, 2026 should be considered withdrawn, and the matter closed,” Mr Gyamfi stated.
The original proposal, submitted on August 20, sought the allocation of approximately three acres of the Parks and Gardens land at Cantonments for the development of a purpose-built permanent headquarters for GoldBod.
GoldBod had explained that the proposed facility was needed to accommodate its expanding administrative, technical, commercial, regulatory and operational functions.
Under the proposed arrangement, GoldBod would have constructed a new administrative office for Parks and Gardens, alongside logistical and other ancillary facilities to be agreed upon by both institutions.
The proposal was presented as a mutually beneficial arrangement that would allow both institutions to obtain improved infrastructure while putting the land to what they considered strategic institutional use.
However, the arrangement attracted public scrutiny and criticism, prompting GoldBod to reconsider the proposal.
The latest decision effectively brings the discussions over the Cantonments property to an end, with GoldBod formally asking Parks and Gardens to treat its earlier request as withdrawn.
In his letter, Mr Gyamfi expressed appreciation to the Department of Parks and Gardens for its cooperation throughout the discussions over the proposed arrangement.
The withdrawal means GoldBod will now have to pursue alternative options for securing a permanent headquarters as the institution continues to expand its operations.
The development also brings an end to a proposal that had sought to combine the development needs of GoldBod with infrastructure improvements for Parks and Gardens through a land-for-development arrangement.
