Between 2019 and 2024, Ghana lost US$11.4 billion in gold to smuggling according to IMF – Richmond Eduku

One of the major areas examined is the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme (DGPP), an initiative introduced during one of the most challenging periods in Ghana’s recent economic history, when the country was facing severe exchange rate pressures, declining international reserves and limited access to external financing.

Put differently, gold that previously escaped the country’s official economic system began contributing to Ghana’s recorded exports and foreign exchange earnings.

This represents one of the largest recorded values of formal artisanal gold exports in Ghana’s history and significantly strengthened the country’s external sector.