President John Dramani Mahama says Ghana is working to retain a greater share of the economic benefits from its gold resources through local assaying, refining and related services.
Speaking at the Mining in Motion Conference on Monday, October 19, 2026, the President said the government was pursuing the agenda through the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) and its gold refining policy.
“Through the Ghana Gold Board and our gold refining policy, we are working to retain more value through assaying, refining, and related services,” he said.
The initiative forms part of efforts to move Ghana beyond exporting largely unprocessed gold and expand local participation in the mineral’s value chain.
Gold is a major contributor to Ghana’s export earnings. However, retaining more value from the resource requires stronger domestic capacity in refining, assaying and other services associated with gold production and trade.
In January 2026, GoldBod announced a partnership involving Gold Coast Refinery and South Africa’s Rand Refinery to refine one metric tonne of gold locally each week.
The arrangement was intended to increase local processing and ensure that more value from Ghana’s gold remains in the domestic economy.
GoldBod, established under the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140), plays a central role in regulating and formalising the gold trade, particularly in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector.
The Mining in Motion Summit 2026, held in Accra from October 19 to 21, brings together policymakers, mining industry leaders and other stakeholders to discuss Africa’s mineral future and ways to strengthen coordination across the sector.
