The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has announced that the use of X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) technology will become the standard method for determining the purity of gold purchased in Ghana from September 1, 2026.
In a compliance notice issued on Monday, August 17, GoldBod said the directive would apply to all gold purchases by the Board and its licensed buyers.
Under the new arrangement, XRF assay will be the definitive basis for determining the purity of gold doré and calculating the applicable payment.
GoldBod said the water density method, which has been used by some buyers to determine gold purity, would no longer be accepted as the definitive method from September 1.
The Board has therefore directed licensed buyers to acquire appropriate XRF devices and use them to test gold doré at the point of purchase.
It also requires licensed buyers to ensure that personnel operating the equipment are properly trained and that records of XRF measurements are maintained for every transaction.
GoldBod said where a licensed buyer is unable to use an XRF device due to genuine operational or logistical constraints, the water density method may be used only as an indicative measurement.
In such cases, the buyer is expected to apply a minimum 0.5 percent purity discount to the result obtained through the water density method.
The gold will subsequently be assessed by GoldBod using the XRF method, which will serve as the final basis for determining the purity and payment.
The Board has also directed licensed aggregators to acquire suitable XRF machines and deploy them to their Tier 2 and Tier 1 buyers, also known as sub-aggregators, to improve the accuracy and consistency of purity testing at source.
Additionally, licensed buyers have been instructed to apply a purity deviation limit when comparing successive XRF reports for the same gold or transaction.
GoldBod said the permissible difference between two XRF reports must remain within plus or minus 0.05 percent.
Any difference exceeding that threshold must undergo further verification and reconciliation before the transaction is completed or reported to GoldBod.
The Board warned that all aggregators and licensed buyers must comply with the new requirements from September 1.
It said the compliance notice would form part of the terms and conditions governing licences issued to aggregators and licensed gold buyers.
GoldBod cautioned that failure to comply would constitute a breach of licence conditions and could attract regulatory and enforcement measures under the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140).
The Board has consequently urged all licensed buyers to acquire the necessary equipment and ensure they are fully prepared before the new system takes effect.
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