Moving gold out of Ghana cleanly is a documentation discipline, not an improvisation — and it certainly cannot be advanced on the promise of an unsolicited “discount” parcel. Since the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140), the legal route runs through the GoldBod regime, and a parcel either has the documentation to clear it or it does not. This guide sets out the honest compliance steps for exporting gold from Ghana and shows where a compliance service fits. Ghana Metals provides export-compliance documentation within the regulated framework, since 1976.

First: Who May Legally Export

Under the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140), the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) is the sole legal buyer, assayer, and exporter of gold from the artisanal and small-scale (ASM) sector. The Act repealed the PMMC Act and absorbed PMMC’s National-Assayer role. Old PMMC and ministerial trading licences are void, foreigners were required to exit local gold trading (dealing without a GoldBod licence an offence from 1 May 2025), and licensing eligibility is a Ghanaian aged 18+ or a wholly Ghanaian-owned company.

So the first compliance question is not “how do I export?” but “is this parcel moving through the legal, GoldBod-regime route?” Anything that bypasses it is outside the law.

The Compliance Steps

1. Chain-of-Custody from Origin

The export rests on a documented chain-of-custody — the parcel recorded, sealed, and tracked from the first handover at origin, with the provenance record assembled. An undocumented parcel cannot be exported compliantly; a known, traceable one can.

2. Independent Assay & Certification

The gold is assayed by recognised methods — fire assay (cupellation) for the definitive fineness, XRF for screening — and documented in a transparent certificate of method, fineness, and weight, so the parcel that leaves matches the parcel on paper. No doré leaves Ghana without the designated-lab assay and seals.

3. OECD Responsible-Sourcing Due Diligence

Due diligence aligned to the OECD framework and the LBMA Responsible Gold Guidance — provenance, supply-chain participants, and risk — so the parcel can satisfy an institutional buyer’s responsible-sourcing requirements.

4. The Official GoldBod Assay/Export Route

The parcel moves through the official GoldBod assay/export route where it applies. A compliance service coordinates this; it does not impersonate GoldBod or claim the licensed-exporter status Act 1140 reserves to it for ASM gold.

5. GRA Customs Documentation & Royalty

GRA Customs documentation, the designated-lab seals, and the statutory costs — the 5% GRA mineral royalty and customs charges — are prepared and passed through transparently, so the consignment clears correctly.

The Documents — At a Glance

| Step | What it requires | |---|---| | Chain-of-custody & origin | Recorded, sealed, traceable parcel + provenance record | | Independent assay certificate | Method, fineness, weight — transparent | | OECD due diligence | Provenance and supply-chain risk, documented | | GoldBod-regime route | Official assay/export coordination where it applies | | GRA Customs | Customs documentation + designated-lab seals | | Mineral royalty | 5% (passed through transparently) |

Pricing — Honestly

Where valuation is part of the engagement, gold is valued against the prevailing international spot price (LBMA / COMEX) for its assayed fineness and weight, adjusted only for purity, assay, logistics, and applicable duties. There is no separate “Ghana gold price,” and a legitimate firm never values or offers gold below spot. A “discount to spot” is the signature of a scam, not a deal — the very thing a compliant export route is the opposite of.

What a Compliance Service Does — and Does Not — Claim

A legitimate export-compliance service prepares the parcel to move correctly within the GoldBod regime and coordinates the official route. It does not claim to be GoldBod, to be the licensed ASM exporter, to mine (a Minerals Commission matter under Act 703), or to be a refinery. Naming the regime as context is honest; impersonating any part of it is not.

Frequently Asked Questions

What documents are needed to export gold from Ghana?

A documented chain-of-custody from origin, an independent assay certificate of fineness and weight, OECD-aligned responsible-sourcing due diligence, the official GoldBod assay/export route where it applies, GRA Customs documentation, the designated-lab seals, and the 5% mineral royalty. A compliance service assembles these so the parcel clears correctly within the regulated framework.

Who can legally export gold from Ghana now?

Under the Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140), GoldBod is the sole legal exporter of ASM-sector gold; old PMMC and ministerial licences are void; foreigners exited local trading from 1 May 2025; and licensing eligibility is a Ghanaian aged 18+ or a wholly Ghanaian-owned company. A compliance firm operates within this regime — it is not GoldBod.

What does it cost to export gold from Ghana?

Statutory costs include the 5% GRA mineral royalty and customs charges, passed through transparently; the compliance service itself is quoted per engagement, driven by the parcel, the consignments, the documentation, and the turnaround. The gold itself, where valued, is valued against international spot — never at a discount to spot.

Gold Export Compliance — documentation within the GoldBod regime
Gold Assay & Fineness Verification — determined, not estimated
Responsible Gold Sourcing — OECD due diligence at origin
Chain-of-Custody Assurance — sealed, tracked, traceable
Verifying a Legitimate Gold Supplier — the anti-scam checklist

Request a compliance brief, or a quote against spot: +233 27 000 0844. Institutional clients only.