The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has directed all licensed gold buyers and aggregators to acquire and deploy X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) equipment for determining the purity of gold doré, effective September 1, 2026.
In a Compliance Notice dated August 17, 2026, and signed by the Chief Executive Officer, Mr Samuel Gyamfi, Esq., the Board said XRF assay would become the standard method for determining gold purity for all gold purchases in the country, replacing the water density method as the definitive basis for such determinations.
The notice, titled “Mandatory Use of XRF for the Determination of Gold Purity,” was issued pursuant to GoldBod’s regulatory mandate over the gold trade sector and the terms and conditions governing its gold buying licences.
“With effect from 1 September 2026, the GoldBod shall adopt X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) assay as the standard method for the determination of gold purity for all gold purchases in Ghana,” the notice stated, adding that the water density method would no longer serve as the definitive basis for determining purity.
The Board strongly advised all licensed buyers to acquire and use suitable XRF devices at the point of purchase, and directed that personnel be adequately trained in the equipment’s use, with proper records of measurements maintained for all transactions.
Where a licensed buyer is genuinely unable to acquire or use an XRF device due to operational or logistical constraints, the notice said the water density method could still be used, but the resulting purity reading should be treated as indicative only. In such cases, the gold doré must be purchased at a purity discount of at least 0.5 per cent from the water density reading, and the consignment would subsequently be assessed by GoldBod using the XRF method, which would form the basis for final payment.
The Board also urged licensed buyers to acquire XRF equipment as a matter of priority to avoid discrepancies arising from the use of indicative purity measurements, and directed all licensed aggregators to acquire appropriate XRF machines and deploy them to their respective Tier 1 and Tier 2 buyers, referred to as sub-aggregators, to ensure accurate and consistent determination of purity at source.
On tolerance levels, the notice said all licensed buyers must apply a purity deviation limit, or splitting limit, when comparing successive XRF reports for the same gold or transaction. The permissible differential between one XRF report and another must be maintained within a range of plus or minus 0.05 per cent, with any deviation beyond that threshold subject to further verification and reconciliation before a transaction is concluded or reported to GoldBod.
The Board said the Notice would be deemed to form part of, and would be read together with, the terms and conditions of all licences issued to aggregators and licensed gold buyers. It warned that failure to comply would constitute a breach of licence terms and conditions and could attract appropriate regulatory and enforcement measures under the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140).
All licensed buyers have accordingly been required to take the necessary steps to ensure full operational readiness ahead of the September 1, 2026 deadline.
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