GoldBod local gold refining hit a new high in October, with the board processing 94.6 percent of the artisanal and small-scale mining gold it purchased that month right here in Ghana, rather than shipping it out raw.
Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi disclosed the figures in a keynote address at the African Minerals Policy Forum, Mining in Motion 2026, where he laid out the country's progress on moving away from raw gold exports.
GoldBod bought 5.7 tonnes of ASM gold in October, he said, and 5.4 tonnes of that was refined locally.
Gyamfi credited the jump to partnerships with Gold Coast Refinery and Royal Ghana Gold Refinery, two privately owned Ghanaian operations that signed refining services agreements with GoldBod earlier this year.
Between them, the refineries have processed 25 tonnes of ASM gold purchased and exported by GoldBod in 2026, roughly 30 percent of the board's total ASM exports of 85.4 tonnes recorded as of October 20.
The momentum has been building steadily. Since August 1, 2026, the two refineries have handled 18.7 tonnes locally, representing 76 percent of the 25-tonne total processed over that stretch.
Large-Scale Mining Joins the Push Too
It is not just artisanal gold getting this treatment. Gyamfi said 30 percent of output from large-scale mining companies, purchased by government under the Ghana Accelerated National Reserve Accumulation Program, is also being refined domestically.
Both refineries are now working toward London Bullion Market Association accreditation, a process Gyamfi expects to take three to five years under GoldBod's regulatory oversight.
The refining numbers feed into Ghana's broader goal of ending raw mineral exports entirely. Gyamfi said the country is working to move from exporting 100 percent of its minerals unprocessed at the end of 2024 to zero raw exports by the end of 2030.
For Gyamfi, the mission goes well beyond trading gold. He insisted that every ounce mined in Ghana should translate into tangible value for Ghanaians, not just export revenue passed through to someone else's refinery.
He also commended the Ghana Chamber of Mines for backing the value-addition drive, delivering his remarks under the theme "From Gold Production to National Prosperity: Ghana's GoldBod Model for Mineral Sovereignty and Value Addition."
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