Due Diligence & Verification
Mining licence and company verification in Africa
Before price, before travel, before a deposit: is the company real, who stands behind it, and does it hold the licence the deal requires? We answer those questions from the registry and the licensing authority themselves — in the country where the supplier is incorporated, anywhere in Africa.
Scope
- Turnaround
- 3–5 business days (registry and licence check (desk))
- Coverage
- 7 countries, and anywhere in Africa
- Standards
- Nairank Global Standard; supports OECD-aligned due diligence
Every engagement with a new supplier should start here. We obtain the company’s record from the national companies registry — BRELA in Tanzania, the Business Registration Service in Kenya, URSB in Uganda, PACRA in Zambia, the RCCM in the DR Congo and the other OHADA states, the Office of the Registrar of Companies in Ghana, the CAC in Nigeria and CIPC in South Africa — and set it against what the supplier has told you: its registered name and number, date of incorporation, registered address, directors, shareholders and, where the country keeps one, its register of beneficial owners.
We then turn to the licence. Mineral trade in Africa runs on permits issued by a mining cadastre, a minerals commission or a ministry, and each permit is narrow: it names a holder, a mineral, an activity (mining, dealing, broking, processing or export), sometimes an area, and an expiry date. We confirm each of those five points with the issuing authority, because a genuine licence that belongs to another company, covers another mineral or lapsed last year gives you no protection at all.
Tax registration is checked where the revenue authority allows it, and the company’s standing — active, struck off, under administration — is confirmed on the registry. The result is a plain statement of what the official record shows, set next to what you were told.
Typical situations
- Before the first discussion of price with a new supplier
- When a seller has sent a company certificate or licence and you need to know whether it is genuine and current
- When you are dealing with an intermediary and need to know who actually holds the licence
- Before a bank, insurer or investment committee asks for evidence of the counterparty’s standing
Method
Our testers and inspectors are based in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, the DR Congo, Ghana and Sierra Leone, and deploy with XRF analysers wherever in Africa the material is held.
- STEP 01
Brief and documents
You send the supplier’s name, country and whatever papers it has given you. The Due Diligence form takes uploads in PDF, Word or photo form.
- STEP 02
Registry search
A search is made on the national companies registry — online where the registry publishes, in person through our local team where it does not.
- STEP 03
Licence confirmation
Each licence is confirmed with the cadastre, commission or ministry that issued it: holder, mineral, activity, area and validity date.
- STEP 04
Tax and standing
Tax registration and the company’s current status are confirmed where the authority provides for it.
- STEP 05
Reconciliation
Names, numbers, dates and signatories on the supplier’s papers are compared, line by line, with the official records.
- STEP 06
Written findings
You receive each check marked confirmed, contradicted or not confirmable, with the record behind it.
Scoping is free. We return a scope, timetable and terms within one working day.
Request this service
Detail
Registries we search
Company records are held nationally. Our field teams in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, the DR Congo, Ghana and Sierra Leone make searches in person where a registry is not online, and for other African countries we work through local counsel who hold registry access.
- East Africa — BRELA (Tanzania), Business Registration Service (Kenya), URSB (Uganda), RDB (Rwanda)
- Southern and Central Africa — PACRA (Zambia), RCCM through the commercial courts and guichet unique (DR Congo), CIPC (South Africa), the Companies Registry (Zimbabwe)
- West Africa — Office of the Registrar of Companies (Ghana), the RCCM in the OHADA states, the Corporate Affairs Commission (Nigeria)
- Beneficial-ownership registers wherever a country maintains one and grants access
Licensing authorities we confirm with
The licence that matters depends on what the supplier says it does. A mine owner needs a mining or primary mining licence; a trader needs a dealer or broker licence; an exporter needs an export permit for the shipment. We confirm the licence that fits the role the supplier claims.
- Tanzania — the Mining Commission and its online cadastre
- Kenya — the State Department for Mining and its mining cadastre
- Uganda — the Directorate of Geological Survey and Mines
- Zambia — the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development cadastre
- DR Congo — CAMI, the mining cadastre, and the Ministry of Mines for trading-house approvals
- Ghana — the Minerals Commission, and the Ghana Gold Board for gold buying and export
What the report contains
- The registry extract or search result, with date of search
- Directors, shareholders and beneficial owners as recorded
- Each licence: number, holder, mineral, activity, area where stated, and validity as confirmed by the authority
- Tax registration and company status where available
- A table of every discrepancy between the supplier’s documents and the official record
- A statement of which checks remain open and what would close them
Deliverables
- Registry confirmation of the company, its directors and recorded owners
- Licence status confirmed with the issuing authority: holder, mineral, activity and validity
- A discrepancy table comparing the supplier’s papers with the official record
- A clear view on whether to continue, with the open points listed
Turnaround. Registry and licence check: 3–5 business days. Urgent desk check: 48 hours, on request.
Why clients choose us
- Records come from the registry and the licensing authority, never from the supplier.
- Field teams in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, the DR Congo, Ghana and Sierra Leone make in-person searches where a registry is not online.
- Every finding is shown with the record behind it, so it can be checked by your own advisers.
- Nairank Global is independent of buyers and sellers. Its fees are outcome-neutral: they are the same whether or not the transaction proceeds. Our fee is agreed before work starts and is the same whatever we find.
Documents we review
We review the documents that apply to this work and confirm each one with the authority or company that issued it.
- Certificate of incorporation and current registry extract
- Tax registration
- Mining or dealer licence
- Mining cadastre record
- Export permit
How long it takes
Each check has a fixed time, shown below, and site work can start within 48–72 hours of access being confirmed.
| Check | Time |
|---|---|
| Registry and licence check (desk) | 3–5 business days |
| Urgent desk check | 48 hours, on request |
Times start once we have the supplier’s details and, for site work, confirmed access.
How fees are set
Fees are fixed per engagement and agreed before work starts.
They depend on the number of companies and countries, travel to the site, the laboratory tests needed and the urgency. Fees are outcome-neutral: they are the same whether or not the transaction proceeds.
How we work
Four principles govern every Nairank Global engagement.
Evidence at Source
Outcome-Neutral Fees
On-the-Ground Presence
Absolute Confidentiality
Questions
Not answered here? Message the desk.
Which countries can you check a company in?
Any African country. Our own teams search in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, the DR Congo, Ghana and Sierra Leone; elsewhere we work through local counsel with registry access. The scope names the registry and the method before work starts.
Which registries do you use?
The national companies registry of the country of incorporation — for example BRELA in Tanzania, the Business Registration Service in Kenya, URSB in Uganda, PACRA in Zambia, the RCCM in the DR Congo and the other OHADA states, the Office of the Registrar of Companies in Ghana, the CAC in Nigeria and CIPC in South Africa. For licences we go to the mining cadastre, minerals commission or ministry that issued them.
How long does a background check take?
A registry and licence check takes 3–5 business days, and an urgent desk check 48 hours on request. Times start once we have the supplier’s details.
Can I send you the documents the seller gave me?
Yes. Upload them with the Due Diligence form. Each one is compared with the official record and the report lists every point where they differ.
What is the difference between a mining licence and a dealer licence?
A mining licence allows the holder to extract minerals from a defined area. A dealer or broker licence allows the holder to buy and sell minerals, usually without mining them. A supplier who says it produces the material should hold a mining licence; a trader should hold a dealer licence. We confirm the one that matches the role claimed.
Do you check beneficial owners?
Yes, where the country keeps a beneficial-ownership register and grants access. Where it does not, we report the shareholders of record and, if needed, trace ownership further under enhanced due diligence.
What if the registry record is out of date?
We report what the registry shows and what the supplier shows, side by side, and say that the record could not settle the point. We do not resolve a discrepancy by assumption.
Does a clean background check mean the deal is safe?
No. It confirms identity and permission only. Whether the material exists, its grade and the seller’s authority to sell it are separate checks, and the report lists which of them are still open.
Will the supplier know we are checking?
Registry and licence searches do not involve the supplier. If a later step needs contact with the supplier, we agree it with you first and do not disclose your identity unless you allow it.
Can you check a company outside your seven bases?
Yes. Searches elsewhere in Africa are made through local counsel we instruct for the purpose, and the method is stated in the report.
Where we provide this
City and country pages with local detail: where our teams work, the authorities involved and how an engagement runs there.
- Gold testing in Dar es SalaamXRF, acid and density testing at dealers, vaults and the airport, with fire assay and sealed lots.
- Gold testing in GeitaGold tested at source in Geita, with inspection of the producing site and sealed lots.
- Gold testing in NairobiGold tested in Nairobi vaults and dealers’ premises, with vault and licence confirmation.
- Gold testing in KampalaTesting at dealers, refineries and Entebbe airport, with seller licence checks.
- Gold testing in LusakaGold testing in Lusaka with site inspection in the provinces and seller checks.
- Gold testing in AccraGold testing and GoldBod and Minerals Commission licence checks for buyers in Ghana.
- Gold testing in FreetownGold testing in Freetown and the provinces, with NMA licence and CAC company checks on the seller.
- Supplier due diligence in TanzaniaBRELA, Mining Commission, authority to sell, inspection and screening.
- Supplier due diligence in KenyaBRS record, Mining Act licences, vault confirmation and testing.
- Supplier due diligence in UgandaURSB, DGSM licences, origin documents and testing.
- Supplier due diligence in ZambiaPACRA, cadastre licences, warehouse inspection and sampling.
- Supplier due diligence in the DR CongoRCCM, CAMI, CEEC, inspection and OECD-aligned evidence.
- Supplier due diligence in GhanaORC, GoldBod and Minerals Commission checks, offtake documents and testing.
- Gold testing and supplier due diligence in Sierra LeoneCAC record, NMA mining, dealer and exporter licences, export documents, inspection and gold testing.
Related practice areas
Document & Certificate Verification
Enhanced Due Diligence
Due Diligence Findings & Report
Field guidance
Country pages and buyer guides where this work applies.
- Tanzania — Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, GeitaXRF, density and fire assay in Dar es Salaam, Mwanza and Geita, with BRELA and Mining Commission checks on the seller.
- Kenya — Nairobi, Migori, KakamegaGold testing in Nairobi and western Kenya, with checks on the dealer’s licence class, company record and export approval.
- Zambia — Lusaka and the CopperbeltCopper inspection and sampling on the Copperbelt, gold testing in Lusaka, PACRA and Mining Cadastre checks.
- West Africa — Ghana, Sierra Leone and beyondField teams in Ghana and Sierra Leone, deployed across West Africa, with checks against national rules such as GoldBod licensing.
- Verified gold suppliers in AfricaWhat makes a gold supplier verified, and where the records sit in Tanzania, the DRC, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Ghana.
- Copper suppliers in ZambiaPACRA, the Mining Cadastre, export permits, cathode brands and concentrate sampling — what to check before buying Zambian copper.
Company & Mining-Licence Verification
Brief us on the requirement and the location. We return a scope, a timetable and terms within one working day, in confidence.