In a historic move towards a new, responsible era of small-scale gold mining in Ghana, Typhoon Greenfield Development Ltd, MKS PAMP and Development Gold International (DGI) have presented the country’s first-ever traceable and responsibly produced gold bars to Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II.
The symbolic presentation took place on Sunday (2 June 2025), during a gala dinner at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra, held as part of the Mining in Motion Summit.
It marks the first time Ghana has exported fully traceable gold sourced from small-scale mines, signalling a major turning point in the country’s gold industry.
Six of the uniquely minted gold bars were donated for auction, with proceeds going towards Otumfuo’s charitable foundations that support land restoration and clean water conservation.
A continental gathering
The event drew prominent figures from across Africa’s mining and governance landscape. In attendance were Ghana’s Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah; Malawi’s Minister of Mining, Kenneth Zikhale Ng’oma; and counterparts from Niger, Liberia, the DRC, Guinea, Somalia, and Côte d’Ivoire. Sammy Gyamfi, CEO of the Ghana GoldBoard, also joined the gathering.
The bars, totalling 445 grams of gold, were sourced from the Adomanu mine in the Ashanti Region, operated by Typhoon Greenfield Development Ltd. They were refined in Switzerland at MKS PAMP, one of the world’s most respected bullion brands.
This milestone was achieved through the Development Gold Ghana initiative, which supports small-scale mining operations in meeting rigorous international standards, including the LBMA Responsible Sourcing Programme and DGI’s own Performance Standard.
A new era for Ghana’s small-scale mining
Max Afriyie-Barwuah, President of Development Gold International, hailed the move as “a major milestone in the Ghanaian gold industry,” noting that it reflects years of capacity building with local mines to meet global benchmarks.
“It signals the serious intention of small-scale miners in Ghana to meet international standards and of LBMA Good Delivery List refiners to recognise Ghana as a source of formal and responsible gold,” he said.
Kwaku Afrifa Nsiah-Asare, CEO of Typhoon Greenfield, said: “We are thrilled to pioneer this home-grown Ghanaian responsible mining initiative. Doing so has opened the opportunity to work with the most respected businesses in the international gold market.”
He added that the process helped strengthen his team’s environmental and social management systems and expected other small-scale miners to follow.
MKS PAMP’s Chief Commercial Officer, Omar Liess, described the effort as a “significant step forward for responsible sourcing” in Ghana, and said the company looked forward to growing the initiative and inspiring similar models worldwide.
Technology, standards, and the future
The gold was tracked and verified using MineTrace, a digital platform that enhances transparency across the gold supply chain. The initiative’s standards were developed in collaboration with sustainability experts at TDi, who also provided technical support for mine-site improvement.
Assheton Carter, Executive Chair of TDi Sustainability, said: “DGI is doing something very important. It is creating an assurance process to demonstrate compliance with international due diligence expectations, backed by technical assistance to uplift this vital sector.”
The LBMA, which launched its responsible artisanal and small-scale mining programme in 2022, selected Ghana as one of four countries with the potential to lead global efforts in traceable, responsibly sourced gold.
The organisation has worked closely with Ghanaian stakeholders, including the Bank of Ghana, to promote responsible sourcing and published an ASM Toolkit to guide implementation at GDL refineries.
This pioneering export of traceable gold from Ghana not only sets a new benchmark for responsible small-scale mining in Africa but also strengthens the country’s reputation as a credible player in the global gold market.
, during a gala dinner at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra, held as part of the Mining in Motion Summit.){kind=link}