Gold deal compliance in Ghana: licences, checks and red flags
Gold deal compliance in Ghana comes down to the licences, documents, taxes and checks that keep a transaction legal. It also means knowing the warning signs of the frauds that target foreign buyers.
Key facts
- Licensed trade only: since 1 May 2025, buying or dealing in gold in Ghana without a GoldBod licence is an offence.
- One exit for small-scale gold: it leaves Ghana only through GoldBod. A private seller promising to export artisanal gold to you directly is describing a route the law no longer allows.
- Purity is tested, not claimed: fire assay is the reference method. Unrefined doré is typically well below 99% gold, so a doré offer at “99.9%” is a warning sign.
- Records: licensed buyers must keep records for at least five years and carry out anti-money-laundering checks.
- Taxes: gold royalties follow a sliding scale linked to the gold price, and the Growth and Sustainability Levy on gold miners was cut from 3% to 1%.
Red flag checker
Tick anything that applies to the offer in front of you.
Based on our guide Verify Before You Wire. This checker gives general guidance only; it does not assess any specific offer.
Gold deal compliance: the checks to run
| Check | Where to confirm it |
|---|---|
| Trading licence | Ask for the licence category, such as aggregator or buyer, and confirm it with GoldBod directly, not through the seller |
| Company and owners | Registration, directors and beneficial owners at Ghana’s Office of the Registrar of Companies |
| Mineral right | Licence type, holder and status at the Minerals Commission |
| Assay | An accredited laboratory that you appoint and contact yourself |
| Payment | Pay only against delivery and verified assay, for example through escrow or a documentary letter of credit, ideally with delivery to a recognised refinery |
| People | Sanctions screening of every individual and company, and independent legal advice in Ghana before signing |
Start here: guides to gold deal compliance
The rules and the paperwork, in reading order.
- 01Due Diligence & RiskVerify Before You Wire: How Buyers Tell a Real Ghana Gold Deal From a Fake One3 min read · Updated
- 02Buying, Trading & ExportHow to Read a Gold Assay Certificate2 min read · Updated
- 03GoldBod & RegulationWhat the Gold Board Act, 2025 Means for Buyers, Aggregators and Exporters2 min read · Updated
- 04GoldBod & RegulationGhana’s Sliding-Scale Gold Royalty and the Cut in the Mining Levy, Explained2 min read · Updated
- 05Ghana–InternationalSince 1 September, Ghana’s Small-Scale Gold Must Be Refined Locally Before Export1 min read · Updated
- 06GoldBod & RegulationGhana’s Mineral Rights, Explained: Licences, Leases and Who Can Hold Them1 min read · Updated
On the Ghana Gold Map
GoldBod, the Minerals Commission's offices and Ghana's refineries, from our interactive map.
Latest on rules and compliance
Updated automatically as we publish.
Gold deal compliance questions
How can I tell if a Ghana gold offer is a scam?
Look for the common script: fees requested before any gold is delivered, prices far below the market, documents you cannot verify with the issuer, an assay from the seller’s own laboratory, and pressure to move fast. Any offer to export small-scale gold outside GoldBod, therefore, is not legitimate. Read Verify Before You Wire before you pay anything.
What should a genuine assay certificate show?
The laboratory’s name, address and accreditation; a unique certificate and sample number the lab can confirm; dates; a description of the material; the gross weight; the fineness; and the fine gold content, which is the gross weight multiplied by the fineness. See How to Read a Gold Assay Certificate.
Who regulates gold in Ghana?
The Minerals Commission advises on and manages mineral rights under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006. The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) licenses gold buying and trading and is the sole exporter of small-scale gold under the Gold Board Act, 2025. GoldBod’s official prices use the Bank of Ghana reference rate.
Which licence do I need to buy gold in Ghana?
A GoldBod licence for your role. Categories open for application include the Aggregator Licence, Self-Financing Aggregator Licence and Buyer Licences (Tier 1 and Tier 2). The Tier 1 Buyer Licence is for Ghanaians or wholly Ghanaian-owned companies. See the Gold Board Act, explained.
What responsible-sourcing standards apply?
International buyers apply the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals. Similarly, in the UAE, refiners and dealers follow the 2022 responsible sourcing regulations, which are based on it.
Need a counterparty or document checked?
Our gold deal compliance checks cover licence confirmation with the issuing body, company and ownership checks, and independent assay arrangements, all before any money moves.
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We facilitate introductions and independent checks. We hold no client funds, do not buy, sell or broker physical gold, and promise no returns. See our Disclosure Policy.
This page is for information only and is not legal, tax or investment advice. Rules and figures change; confirm the current position with the relevant authority or a qualified adviser before acting.
