For decades, gold has been the bedrock of Ghana's economy. The nation is Africa's largest gold producer and the world's sixth-largest, accounting for nearly 40% of total exports. But beneath the glitter of bullion lies a deeply troubled sector where corruption, regulatory failure, and a fractured relationship between government and mining companies are bleeding the country of the very wealth it should be generating. A picture is emerging of a sector that has been mismanaged at almost every level, and a system where political influence peddling, opaque financial oversight, and the weaponisation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) obligations have created a perfect storm of lost opportunity.