By Abubakar Yunusa
Ghana will ban the export of unrefined artisanal gold dore purchased under approved off-take arrangements from September 1, 2026, requiring the gold to be refined locally before it can be shipped out of the country.
The directive was issued by the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) yesterday, as the West African country steps up efforts to retain more value from its gold resources and expand domestic refining.
Gold dore is a semi-refined form of gold produced after mined ore has been processed to separate the precious metal from much of the surrounding material.
It typically contains gold alongside other metals and is sent to a refinery for further processing into higher-purity bullion.
Under the new directive, artisanal gold dore purchased by self-financing aggregators under arrangements with approved off-takers cannot be exported in its unrefined form from September 1.
GoldBod said the affected gold must first be processed at a refinery that has been approved or designated by the board before an export application can be considered.
Self-financing aggregators, which are licensed gold buyers that use their own funds to purchase gold, have also been given until August 31 to amend existing off-take agreements to include the new local-refining requirement.
GoldBod will only approve an export after confirming that the gold has been refined in Ghana, the applicable refining fees have been paid, and the required assay, regulatory and export conditions have been satisfied. The refining cost will be borne by either the aggregator or the approved off-taker.
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