The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has welcomed a major international partnership that will significantly strengthen Ghana’s gold value chain and reinforce responsible sourcing standards across West Africa.
Africa’s leading gold refiner, Rand Refinery, has entered into a strategic partnership with Gold Coast Refinery (GCR) to support GoldBod’s mandate of locally refining artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) gold under globally recognised standards.
Announced in Johannesburg on January 20, 2026, the partnership brings together two LBMA-accredited institutions, Rand Refinery and Gold Coast Refinery to enhance local refining capacity in Ghana while promoting transparency, traceability, and ethical sourcing.
Under the arrangement, Gold Coast Refinery, located in Accra, will refine up to 1,000 kilograms of ASM gold dore per week sourced through GoldBod, ensuring compliance with international assaying and refining benchmarks.
Established in 2016, Gold Coast Refinery has an annual refining capacity of over 80 tonnes of gold, with significant potential for expansion.
The collaboration with Rand Refinery will provide technical, operational, and commercial oversight, enabling GCR to refine ASM gold locally while meeting stringent responsible sourcing requirements set by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA).
Speaking on the agreement, Rand Refinery Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ean Subramanian, described the partnership as a milestone for responsible gold refining on the continent.
He reaffirmed Rand Refinery’s commitment to supporting GoldBod and Gold Coast Refinery to build a robust framework that ensures gold sourced from Ghana meets international standards for ethical production and supply chain integrity.
As a globally recognised LBMA-accredited refiner, Rand Refinery enforces strict compliance measures to eliminate conflict gold, combat money laundering, and uphold environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles throughout its supply chain.
Its “People, Planet, Product and Provenance” framework aligns closely with GoldBod’s vision of ensuring that Ghana’s gold delivers maximum benefit to local communities while minimising environmental impact.
The partnership is expected to deepen Ghana’s local refining ecosystem, reduce reliance on offshore refining, improve value retention within the country, and enhance the credibility of ASM gold from Ghana on the international market.
It also reinforces GoldBod’s role as the sole entity authorised to buy, sell, and export gold from small-scale miners, while ensuring responsible sourcing remains at the heart of Ghana’s gold strategy.
Through this collaboration, Rand Refinery will further strengthen its footprint on the African continent as a preferred refining partner, while GoldBod continues to position Ghana as a leader in ethical, transparent, and value-adding gold production.
The partnership marks another important step in building a sustainable ASM sector that contributes meaningfully to national development and long-term economic growth.
