GoldBod makes XRF assay mandatory for definitive gold purity assessment from October 1

The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has announced changes to the assay regime for determining the purity of gold purchased locally, with X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) becoming the definitive method for determining purity and payment from October 1, 2026.

Under the new regime, the Water Density method of assay will be used only as an indicative assessment of gold purity and will no longer constitute the definitive basis for determining the purity, pricing or payment for gold purchased by GoldBod or its licensed buyers.

GoldBod said XRF assay will instead be used as the definitive method for determining gold purity and will form the basis for determining payment for all gold doré purchased by the Board and its licensed buyers.

The changes are contained in a compliance notice issued by GoldBod on September 28, 2026.

The Board, however, said where a licensed buyer is unable to use XRF because of a genuine operational or logistical constraint, the water density method may be used.

It said the same provision would apply where both the buyer and seller voluntarily elect to use the water density method.

In such cases, the gold doré will be purchased at a 0.7% purity discount on the purity determined through the water density method.

GoldBod has also introduced a purity deviation limit for successive XRF assay reports relating to the same gold or transaction.

According to the notice, licensed buyers must maintain the permissible purity differential between one XRF report and another within ±0.1%.

Any purity differential exceeding the ±0.1% limit will have to undergo further verification before the transaction is concluded or reported to GoldBod.

The Board said all aggregators and licensed buyers are required to comply with the new requirements from October 1, 2026, and take the necessary steps to ensure operational readiness by that date.

GoldBod said the compliance notice forms part of, and must be read together with, the terms and conditions of licences issued to aggregators and licensed gold buyers.

Failure to comply with the requirements will constitute a breach of applicable licence terms and conditions and may attract regulatory and enforcement measures under the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140).

The notice was issued by the Compliance Directorate of the Ghana Gold Board .