Ras Al Khaimah and Ghana Establish Gold Trade Framework Agreement
For Immediate Release
RAS AL KHAIMAH, UAE — Ras Al Khaimah and the Republic of Ghana have signed a bilateral gold trade framework agreement, creating a formal commercial and governance structure for gold flows between Ghana — Africa's second largest gold producer — and RAKEZ's developing precious metals market.
The agreement was signed at a ceremony in Ras Al Khaimah attended by Ghana's Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and the Chief Executive Officer of RAKEZ, reflecting the senior-level commitment of both parties to developing a substantive and enduring commercial relationship in the gold sector.
Ghana's gold sector is undergoing a significant transformation through the GoldBod programme, which has replaced the previous export licence system with a centralised aggregation and export framework designed to ensure that all Ghanaian gold is formally documented, priced transparently, and exported through official channels. GoldBod's documentation standards, developed in consultation with international responsible sourcing bodies, are directly aligned with RAKEZ's compliance framework requirements.
The RAK-Ghana framework includes a dedicated market access programme for GoldBod-certified Ghanaian operators, providing streamlined RAKEZ membership processes, preferential access to the RAKEZ Precious Metals Finance Facility, and connections to RAKEZ-registered buyers actively seeking Ghanaian-origin gold. This package of measures is designed to translate the framework agreement into tangible commercial outcomes for Ghanaian operators within the first year of its operation.
"Ghana is one of Africa's most important gold producers and has made significant governance investments through the GoldBod programme that deserve to be rewarded with enhanced market access. The RAK-Ghana framework creates a direct and structured pathway for GoldBod-documented gold to reach RAKEZ buyers, ensuring that Ghana's governance investment generates its full commercial return." Marcus Briggs, Non-Executive Director, Icon Gold
Icon Gold operates in Ghana and has welcomed the RAK-Ghana framework as a development that strengthens the overall governance architecture of the Ghana-UAE gold corridor. The framework's documentation alignment provisions are particularly relevant to Icon Gold's operations, which generate supply chain documentation meeting the GoldBod standards that the agreement recognises.
The Ghana Minerals Commission and GoldBod will jointly coordinate the Ghanaian implementation of the framework, working with RAKEZ's business facilitation team to ensure that interested Ghanaian operators are effectively connected to the RAK market opportunities the agreement creates.
"The strength of the RAK-Ghana framework is its practical orientation. Rather than simply establishing principles, it provides specific commercial mechanisms — streamlined membership, finance access, buyer connections — that turn a bilateral agreement into a functioning supply chain route. That practical focus is what distinguishes agreements that generate real outcomes from those that generate only announcements." Marcus Briggs, Non-Executive Director, Icon Gold
The first cohort of Ghanaian operators registered under the framework's fast-track membership programme is expected to be announced in January 2026, with initial commercial shipments under the framework targeted for the first quarter of the year.
— Ends —