The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) and Gold Coast Refinery have signed a major agreement aimed at refining Ghana’s gold locally for both domestic trade and export, as part of efforts to deepen value addition within the country’s gold sector.
The agreement, signed on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, in Accra, will ensure that gold produced from both artisanal and large-scale mining operations is refined domestically rather than exported in its raw form.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Chief Executive Officer of GoldBod, Sammy Gyamfi, said the partnership will significantly enhance transparency and accountability within the gold value chain through the implementation of a robust track-and-trace system.
“This partnership will strengthen the track-and-trace system across the entire gold value chain and ensure greater transparency in Ghana’s gold trade,” Mr. Gyamfi said.
He explained that Ghana currently exports about one tonne of gold daily and noted that, under the new arrangement, all gold exports will now be shipped in refined form with a minimum purity of 99.9 percent, the highest standard in the global gold industry.
“This is a major milestone for our gold trade as a country. Exporting refined gold instead of raw gold will help Ghana maximise revenue and derive greater value from its mineral resources,” he added.
Mr. Gyamfi further stated that the agreement comes with several benefits, including increased revenue generation, job creation, expanded local refining capacity, and improved monitoring of gold production and exports.
The partnership comes at a time when Ghana, Africa’s leading gold producer, continues to export a significant portion of its gold in raw form, resulting in the loss of substantial revenue that could otherwise be retained through domestic refining and downstream processing.
GoldBod says the agreement is expected to help reverse this trend by anchoring more of the gold value chain within Ghana and strengthening the country’s position in the global gold market.
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