What we do in Dar es Salaam

Dar es Salaam is where most gold sold to foreign buyers in Tanzania is presented, negotiated and exported. Lots arrive from the Lake Zone, the southern goldfields and neighbouring countries, and are shown to buyers in dealers’ offices, private vaults and hotel meeting rooms. Our work here is to put an independent tester beside the gold before any payment is made.

  • [On-site gold testing](/services/gold-testing) — XRF, touchstone acid and density testing of bars, doré, nuggets and dust.
  • Fire assay — samples drawn under our control and delivered to an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratory.
  • [Witnessed melts](/services/gold-smelting-melt-sampling) — unmelted gold turned into a bar at a licensed facility, sampled from the melt.
  • [Valuation](/services/gold-valuation) — the lot valued from our weights, tested fineness and the LBMA Gold Price.
  • [Seller checks](/locations/supplier-due-diligence-tanzania) — the dealer’s BRELA record and Mining Commission licence confirmed before you commit.

Where our testers attend in the city

We test at licensed dealers’ and brokers’ premises, at vaults and safe-custody facilities, at bonded warehouses, and at Julius Nyerere International Airport before an export consignment is sealed. We do not test in places where the gold cannot be weighed properly or the seller will not allow sealing; in that case we propose a suitable location.

Rules a buyer meets in Tanzania

Gold trading in Tanzania is licensed by the Mining Commission. A seller should hold a dealer’s or broker’s licence in its own name, and gold for export must carry the export permit and the royalty and inspection records issued for that consignment. Since October 2024, dealers have been required to offer a share of their gold to the Bank of Tanzania, which buys through the country’s refineries. The government also runs a network of mineral markets and buying centres where artisanal gold is traded under supervision.

We confirm the dealer’s licence with the Mining Commission and its company record with BRELA before testing begins, if you ask us to. A lot that cannot be traced to a licensed seller is reported as such.

How a testing engagement runs

  1. Brief — send the form of the gold, where it is held in Dar es Salaam, the approximate quantity and the date you need, by the request form or email.
  2. Scope — we confirm the tests, the tester, the date, the laboratory if fire assay is required, and what the report will contain.
  3. Attendance — our tester attends, numbers and photographs each piece and weighs it on a calibrated scale.
  4. Testing — XRF, acid and density readings are taken on each piece and recorded in front of the parties.
  5. Sealing and sampling — the lot is sealed with numbered seals; where fire assay is in scope, a sample is drawn and sealed for the laboratory.
  6. Report — the field report follows within one working day; the laboratory certificate, addressed to you, when it is issued.

What you receive

  • A field report with XRF, acid and density readings for every piece
  • Calibrated weights, piece numbers and seal numbers
  • Photographs of the pieces, the readings and the sealing, taken by our tester
  • Where in scope, a fire assay certificate from an accredited laboratory, addressed to you
  • Where requested, a valuation on the LBMA Gold Price