Raw gold no longer leaves Guinea: what the refining requirement changes

On 26 June 2026, President Mamadi Doumbouya announced a ban on exporting raw gold. The measure covers all production: industrial, semi-industrial and artisanal. Gold must now be refined, cast into certified bars and assayed in Guinea before it leaves the territory.

What the buyer receives changes in kind

Until now, part of Guinea’s gold left as doré — a crude alloy whose fineness is established on arrival, at the buyer’s own refiner. The measure moves that step upstream: what leaves the country is a bar that already carries its assay.

For a buyer, the consequence cuts both ways. The product is easier to read — a certified fineness rather than a fineness to be determined — but the route narrows to approved facilities.

One refinery in service

The Nimba Gold Refinery, at Gbessia on the outskirts of Conakry, is the only facility described publicly. Born of a public-private partnership with Emirates Minting Factory, it reports an initial capacity of roughly two tonnes of gold per day, extensible to four.

Set against volumes: Guinea exported close to 69.3 tonnes of gold in 2025, of which 49.6 came from artisanal and small-scale mining and 19.9 from industrial sources. On paper, the announced capacity covers the need; its ramp-up is the point to watch.

What remains to be specified

Neither the date of entry into force nor the legal instrument — decree, regulatory amendment, revision of export licences — had been made public at the time of writing. No exemption has been announced.

For a buyer negotiating today, the useful question is therefore not “does the measure apply?” but “within what timeframe, and against which supporting documents”. That is the kind of point settled in the contract, not after it.

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Sources: Guinea Mining Insights, Ecofin Agency. Photograph: Allen Drebert, public domain.