The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has introduced stricter gold purity verification requirements, making X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) assay the mandatory standard for determining gold purity in all gold purchases from September 1, 2026.
Under a new compliance directive issued on August 17, GoldBod said XRF analysis will become the standard basis for determining the purity of gold doré purchased by the Board and its licensed buyers.
The directive effectively ends the use of the water density method as the definitive basis for determining gold purity.
Licensed buyers have been directed to acquire suitable XRF equipment and ensure that personnel are properly trained to operate the devices.
They are also required to maintain records of XRF measurements for every gold purchase.
GoldBod is extending the requirement across the buying chain, directing licensed aggregators to acquire appropriate XRF machines and deploy them to their respective Tier 2 and Tier 1 buyers to facilitate accurate purity determination at the point of purchase.
However, where an XRF device is genuinely unavailable due to operational or logistical constraints, GoldBod said the water density method may still be used, but only as an indicative measurement.
In such cases, gold doré must be purchased at a minimum 0.5% purity discount, after which GoldBod will conduct its own XRF assessment.
The Board’s XRF result will subsequently serve as the basis for the final determination of purity and payment.
GoldBod has also introduced a ±0.05% tolerance when comparing successive XRF reports relating to the same gold or transaction.
Any variation exceeding the threshold will require further verification and reconciliation.
All licensed buyers and aggregators are required to comply with the new requirements from September 1, 2026.
GoldBod said failure to comply will constitute a breach of licence conditions and could attract regulatory and enforcement action under the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140).
The new verification regime is expected to improve consistency in gold purity assessment, strengthen transparency across the gold-buying chain and reduce discrepancies in gold transactions.
