True! Gold Katcha programme was introduced under the Akufo-Addo government

Claim: Gold Katcha programme was introduced under the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

Source: Lawuratu Musah-Saaka, a communications member of the NPP

Verdict: True

Researched by Samuel Adjetey Adjei

A member of the communications team of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Lawuratu Musah-Saaka, speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana on October 13, 2025, claimed a government-backed safe-mining intervention, the Gold Katcha programme, was started under the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government.

According to her, the programme was to ensure sustainable and responsible mining in the artisanal small-scale mining sector.

“When mercury and all those issues came in. Apart from putting the security in there, putting the water guards in there, there was the Gold Katcha programme, where those machines that do mining or refine the gold without using chemicals were introduced…,” she said. 

The statement about the Gold Katcha was contested by the show host, Annie Ampofo, who retorted that “it’s not true” that the programme was launched under the erstwhile administration. 

GhanaFact also noted that although the host of the show, Annie Ampofo, mentioned that she was going to “pull it (date of the programme) out,” she did not speak on it again till the show was over. 

Was Lawuratu wrong about when the Gold Katcha programme was introduced?

This fact-check will verify the claim.

Fact-check

To verify the claim, GhanaFact conducted an advanced Google search about the initiative and found that the official launch of the Gold Katcha programme was on June 6, 2022.

Former President Akufo-Addo commissioned 100 mercury-free processing machines at the Independence Square in Accra for use by small-scale mining operators. The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources also issued a statement from the launch. 

Speaking at the event, he said, “the equipment has the capacity to recover over ninety percent (90%) of gold from the ore, and, therefore, give small-scale miners much more gold than they would have obtained from the traditional method of using mercury.”

He added: “we owe it as a duty to protect and safeguard our environment by reducing and, eventually, eliminating the use of such harmful chemicals.”

The former President also indicated that some of the equipment he commissioned had already been handed over to some Community Mining Schemes and the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners, and was confident that they will go a long way to facilitate clean mining in the small-scale sector.

Speaking during a visit to Commodity Monitor, the company that produces the Gold Katcha machine, in April 2022, the then Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Mines, George Mireku Duker, commended the company for its innovation in promoting responsible and efficient small-scale mining in Ghana.

“I’m so impressed seeing this and looking at mechanisms through which we can build local champions within the industry. Where do we start? Let’s start from the community level. In doing that, we must also encourage them to follow best practices and proper mining protocols,” he said.

What is Gold Katcha about?

The Gold Katcha machine is a modular, multi-component system designed to eliminate the need for mercury in gold extraction. 

It is composed of a jaw crusher (which reduces large rocks to 3mm particles), a milling plant (which crushes particles further into fine 100-micron particles), and the Gold Katcha concentrator itself. 

The technology allows for simultaneous processes of scrubbing, crushing, and milling, and boasts a high gold recovery rate of over 90 per cent, significantly increasing the miners’ yield compared to the traditional, mercury-based methods, which yield only 30 to 35 per cent.

This intervention was part of Government’s commitments under the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which is to reduce, and, where feasible, eliminate the use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale mining. 

Annie Ampofo responds to GhanaFact

GhanaFact reached out to the host of the show, Annie Ampofo with our findings.  On her categorical claim that Lawratu was wrong about the Gold Katcha programme, Annie clarified that her initial dismissal stemmed from having researched the programme within a political context. 

“In fact, what I was finding out was Dr. Bawumia’s video, and there was, I think some campaign messages of Dr. Bawumia that said that they were introducing the Gold Katcha program. They’re going to introduce a good Gold Katcha program; it was part of his campaign message.” 

She suggested that the Gold Katcha’s initial framing as a political promise, and the tendency of politicians to “double say things,” led her to doubt the claims of its actual implementation or effectiveness as a fully launched, official government programme. She, however, admitted that the programme was duly launched under the Akufo-Addo government.

Verdict

From the above, the claim that the Gold Katcha programme was launched under the government of President Akufo-Addo is true.