In a historic move to a new, responsible era of small-scale gold mining, the presentation marks the export of fully traceable, responsibly produced Ghanaian gold, for the first time in the country’s history. 

Accra, Ghana – 3rd June 2025

Typhoon Greenfield Development Ltd and MKS PAMP, in conjunction with Development Gold International (DGI), have presented a limited run of unique gold bars to notable dignitaries to mark the first export of fully traceable and responsibly produced gold sourced from Ghanaian small-scale mines.

The presentation was made last night (2nd June) in the presence of President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana and the King of the Ashanti Kingdom, Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II, during the closing ceremony of the Mining in Motion summit at a gala dinner held at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City Accra.

In a historic partnership between Typhoon Greenfield Development Ltd, MKS PAMP, and DGI, backed by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), the first 445 grams of gold was produced by Typhoon Greenfield Development Ltd at its Adomanu mine and exported for refining at the MKS PAMP facilities in Switzerland. 

This took place within the DGI initiative that aligns small-scale mining operations with international standards; specifically the LBMA Responsible Sourcing Programme and the Development Gold Ghana Performance Standard. 

This pivotal achievement represents the culmination of years of collaborative efforts and marks a new era in the formalisation of the small-scale mining sector, positioning Ghana as a credible source of LBMA-compliant gold from small-scale mining entrepreneurs.

Max Afriyie-Barwuah, President of Development Gold International (DGI), said: “This is a major milestone in the Ghanaian gold industry that has been many years in the making, working with mines in the field to build their technical capacity to meet international standards. It signals the serious intention of small-scale miners in Ghana to meet international standards and of LBMA Good Delivery List (GDL) refiners to recognise Ghana as a source of formal and responsible gold from small-scale mines. Our ultimate goal is to reduce environmental degradation and enable these miners to access responsible gold markets globally at scale.”

Kwaku Afrifa Nsiah-Asare, CEO of Typhoon Greenfield Development Ltd, said: “We are thrilled to pioneer this home-grown Ghanaian responsible mining initiative DGI, and the first small-scale mining business to have our operations assessed to the Development Gold Ghana Performance Standard. Doing so has opened the opportunity to work with the most respected businesses in the international gold market such as the LBMA GDL refinery, MKS PAMP. Partnering with DGI has also assisted us operationally, building our team’s capacity and enhancing our operating systems for greater efficiency and management of our mines’ environmental and social aspects. I expect others to follow and the formalisation of small-scale mining in Ghana to scale rapidly”.

Omar Liess, Chief Commercial Officer of MKS PAMP, said: “This partnership represents a significant step forward for responsible sourcing in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector in Ghana. We’re proud to support this initiative and look forward to continued collaboration with our partners in Ghana to scale these efforts and inspire similar initiatives globally.”

Ruth Crowell, Chief Executive of the LBMA, said: “The LBMA is encouraged by this announcement. This is exactly the kind of initiative LBMA supports. Ghana is paving the way for similar arrangements between small-scale producers working with GDL refineries in a range of countries.”

DGI’s Development Gold Ghana Performance Standard was developed in conjunction with mining industry experts at TDi Sustainability, to independently assess and verify the responsible practices of small-scale gold miners. The standard exists to create opportunities for Ghana and other nations to redefine small-scale gold mining, following a history of illegal mining, leading to ESG issues including deforestation, pollution, water contamination, habitat loss, safety risks, and social instability. 

The initiative not only enhances the traceability of the gold supply chain through DGI’s tech mine-to-export platform, MineTrace, but also ensures that mining practices are environmentally sustainable and socially responsible.

Assheton Carter, Executive Chair of TDi Sustainability, said: “We co-founded DGI to transform the small mining sector in Ghana. It is doing something very important; providing an indigenous Ghana-appropriate, progressive good-practice framework facilitating mine-site improvement at small-scale mines. It is creating an assurance process to demonstrate compliance with international due diligence expectations and, crucially, the technical assistance and capacity development support to uplift this vital sector for the country. 

“TDi has a long history of developing responsible value chains for minerals and ASM gold in particular. It is never easy to do and takes time; in this case, four years of hard work on the ground. We are unbelievably proud to be co-founders of DGI and to be involved in the launch and roll out of this truly African initiative.”

LBMA launched its responsible artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) programme in 2022, the aim of which is to facilitate more responsibly sourced ASM gold into the LBMA Good Delivery List (GDL). The LBMA identified Ghana as one of four countries globally that showed the most promise for increasing the flow of responsibly produced ASM gold to GDL refineries.

To that end, the LBMA hosted a significant high-level Ghana government delegation at its responsible sourcing summit in 2023 that it co-convenes with the World Gold Council. It was arranged for international delegations to visit Ghana in 2023 and 2024 to engage with gold supply-chain stakeholders. Since 2023, the LBMA has worked to facilitate responsible ASM sourcing from Ghana by its GDL refinery members, engaging with mines, traders, and the Bank of Ghana (BoG). LBMA also published an ASM Toolkit for GDL refineries to guide them in responsible sourcing from Small-Scale Mines (SSM) and to implement a system of progressive improvement rather than just compliance.

ENDS

Development Gold International: Development Gold International (DGI) is an NGO that exists to create a viable and inclusive mining economy in Africa by linking international markets with responsible, small-scale gold producers. It is formed by and comprises commercial and not-for-profit enterprises all of which are driven by the mission to demonstrate mining as a core, catalytic, and responsible sector in sustainable mineral economies. 

Typhoon Greenfield Development Ltd: Typhoon Greenfield Development Ltd is legally classified as a small-scale mining company with operations in the Ashanti Region. Since its inception, the organisation’s mission has been to create the most responsible and sustainable small-scale mine in Ghana. 

MKS PAMP: MKS PAMP is a global leader in precious metals, specializing in trading, refining, and minting gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and other platinum group metal products. Part of the MKS PAMP GROUP, it brings over 60 years of expertise and operates one of the industry’s most advanced refineries and mints. Headquartered in Switzerland, the company upholds the highest standards of quality, sustainability, and responsible sourcing. MKS PAMP is one of only three approved Good Delivery Referees of both the LBMA and LPPM worldwide. Its flagship brand, PAMP, is the world’s leading bullion brand, known for the iconic Lady Fortuna™ design. Trusted by financial institutions, investors, and industries, MKS PAMP champions transparency and ESG principles. Learn more at www.mkspamp.com.

LBMA: The LBMA, or London Bullion Market Association, is the international trade association that represents the global wholesale market for precious metals, ensuring integrity and transparency through standards and market services. 

TDi Sustainability: TDi Sustainability is a global strategy and management consultancy and implementation agency specialising in building responsible mineral value chains. TDi has a reputation for taking on complex and tough challenges in some of the most difficult places to operate in the world. We draw on our creativity, expertise, and our partnerships with national governments, local operators and institutions to deliver responsible, assured, traceable, and economically successful enterprises and supply chains in precious, base and critical minerals. We are one of very few experts on artisanal and small scale miners with experience in over 50 countries.