Local gold refining, a reformed national assay system, and nationwide traceability tracking are among the key reforms the Ghana Gold Board (GOLDBOD) presented to a visiting delegation from the United States Department of the Treasury on Friday, September 18, 2026.

The US officials, accompanied by representatives from the Economic Section of the U.S. Embassy in Accra, were briefed by GOLDBOD's leadership team; Deputy Chief Executive Officer Richard Nunekpeku, Director of Responsible Mining Professor Ishmael Quaicoe, and Deputy Director of Mining Operations James German.

Nunekpeku walked the delegation through GOLDBOD's legal mandate under the Ghana Gold Board Act, 2025 (Act 1140) and its function within the Ghana Accelerated National Reserve Accumulation Programme (GANRAP), before turning to the specific reforms underway.

Beyond refining, assay reform and traceability, he pointed to plans for bankable geological assessments, intended to give mining operations more credible data for financing purposes, and a push to formalise the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector, which has historically operated with limited regulatory oversight.

Environmental measures also featured in the discussion, with officials raising the reclamation of degraded forest landscapes as part of the institution's broader efforts to address the sector's ecological footprint.

The meeting comes as GoldBod continues work to boost local value addition, tighten transparency and traceability across gold production and trading, and grow the sector's overall contribution to Ghana's economy — priorities that appear to align with the interests of the visiting US Treasury delegation in understanding the institution's regulatory direction.