Unlicensed Gold Refiners Risk Prosecution – GoldBod Warns
By: Nana Kwasi Roka
The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has issued a strong warning to all unlicensed jewellery manufacturers, fabricators and gold refineries to regularize their operations by December 31, 2025, or face prosecution under the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140).
The Board emphasized that the new licensing regime marks a complete overhaul of the old system previously managed by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. All existing licences issued under that framework are no longer valid.
“Engaging in gold refining, jewellery manufacturing, or fabrication without a valid GoldBod licence is an offence and will attract legal sanctions,” the Board cautioned in a statement issued on October 22, 2025.
The Board further announced that all applications must be made exclusively through its official portal, www.goldbod.gov.gh, with no manual or in-person submissions accepted.
GoldBod said the new licensing categories are designed to create opportunities for artisans, local entrepreneurs, and investors while ensuring that gold value-addition in Ghana meets the highest international standards of transparency and sustainability.
The statement was signed by the Media Relations Unit of the Ghana Gold Board, located at the former Bank of Ghana Building, High Street, Accra.
