Guinea has announced a ban on exporting raw gold, compelling the precious metal to be processed domestically before export.
The move, effective immediately, follows a meeting between President Mamadi Doumbouya and gold miners and buyers to stimulate local refining and job creation.
Guinea, Africa’s sixth largest gold producer, shipped over 22 tonnes in the first quarter of 2026, but with the new rule all of the country’s gold will now be sent to a near‑completed refinery in Conakry that can handle up to 250 tonnes annually.
Foreign mining firms face licence revocation if they violate the directive.
Similar policies are already in Tanzania, Uganda and Ghana is slated for 2030, while Zimbabwe banned lithium concentrate exports from 2027.
