Gold mining in Ghana's Ashanti Region (file). Photo: EITI via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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Ghana bans exports of unrefined gold from September 1.
Ghana has banned the export of unrefined gold, known as dore, requiring companies to refine and certify it locally before it leaves the country. The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) directive took effect on 1 September.
Under the rule, so-called self-financing aggregators must amend their existing offtake agreements and prove gold has been refined in Ghana before GoldBod will process export applications. "Ghana is one of the top gold-producing countries in the world, so we need to truly maximise national benefits," said GoldBod media relations officer Prince Kwame Minkah.
Big numbers at stake
Ghana produced almost 185 tonnes of gold in 2025, with small-scale miners accounting for roughly 96 tonnes, double the previous year's output. Export earnings from gold reached about $20 billion last year, nearly double 2024's $10.3 billion. The policy is part of President John Mahama's push for zero raw mineral exports by 2030.
"For the first time since independence, we have a government determined to make sure Ghana benefits from our biggest resource," said Clement Edem Asare Morjah, chief executive of United Gold International.
Ghana currently has four licensed refineries with combined capacity of about 2.4 tonnes a week, well below national output, meaning the new rule could still test the system's ability to process gold quickly. Similar restrictions on unprocessed mineral exports are being adopted or considered in Guinea, Tanzania, Burkina Faso and Mali.
This story was put together by K N N from material first published by Al Jazeera.
That was a Kibra News Network report, read by an A I voice.
Ghana has banned the export of unrefined gold, known as dore, requiring companies to refine and certify it locally before it leaves the country. The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) directive took effect on 1 September.
Under the rule, so-called self-financing aggregators must amend their existing offtake agreements and prove gold has been refined in Ghana before GoldBod will process export applications. “Ghana is one of the top gold-producing countries in the world, so we need to truly maximise national benefits,” said GoldBod media relations officer Prince Kwame Minkah.
Big numbers at stake
Ghana produced almost 185 tonnes of gold in 2025, with small-scale miners accounting for roughly 96 tonnes, double the previous year’s output. Export earnings from gold reached about $20 billion last year, nearly double 2024’s $10.3 billion. The policy is part of President John Mahama’s push for zero raw mineral exports by 2030.
“For the first time since independence, we have a government determined to make sure Ghana benefits from our biggest resource,” said Clement Edem Asare Morjah, chief executive of United Gold International.
Ghana currently has four licensed refineries with combined capacity of about 2.4 tonnes a week, well below national output, meaning the new rule could still test the system’s ability to process gold quickly. Similar restrictions on unprocessed mineral exports are being adopted or considered in Guinea, Tanzania, Burkina Faso and Mali.
KNN Newsroom is the staff byline for stories written, rewritten and edited at the Kibra News Network desk. Where a story credits an outside outlet, the original source is linked at the foot of the piece.
