Gov’t moves to end raw gold exports, promote local processing — Ato Forson
5th February 2026
Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has announced that the government will soon halt the export of raw gold, in a bid to encourage local value addition and strengthen Ghana’s gold processing sector.
He revealed that significant progress has already been made, noting that the Gold Coast Refinery is currently refining one metric tonne of gold locally each week, with the capacity to process up to two metric tonnes weekly.
Speaking after a tour of the Gold Coast Refinery on Wednesday, February 4, Dr. Forson said the Ghana National Gold Board has committed to supplying the refinery with one metric tonne of gold per week for processing, with plans to increase this supply in the near future.
The Finance Minister explained that the Gold Board currently has the capacity to purchase around 2.5 tonnes of gold weekly and that the government intends to channel more of this supply into local refining operations.
“Gold Coast Refinery has the capacity to refine up to two tonnes of gold per week. The Gold Board has agreed to provide one tonne weekly for refining, and this will soon be increased to two tonnes,” he said.
Dr. Forson added: “Today, the Gold Board can buy an average of 2.5 tonnes per week. It is our policy to ensure that, in the shortest possible time, raw gold will no longer be exported from the country.”