Trust is not a promise. It is a process.
The gold trade between Africa and the United States attracts more than its share of fraud. We welcome the scrutiny — this page sets out exactly how we work, what we will never ask of you, and how you can verify us before you commit to anything.
No upfront fees. Ever.
Buyers never pay advance monies, "export fees", "taxes" or "clearance charges" before delivery. Payment is due only after the gold is assayed at the buyer's own refinery and the content is verified. This is the single strongest protection against the advance-fee fraud that plagues this trade — and we build it into every contract.
Licensed partners only
We source exclusively from government-regulated mining companies that hold valid export licences in their country of operation. We never buy from artisanal or unlicensed sources. Our Ghana partner is AFA-EF Mining Limited, and in Ghana all gold exports are conducted in accordance with the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), the sole authority for buying, selling and exporting gold under Act 1140 of 2025.
Full KYC & AML screening
Every counterparty — buyer or seller — completes our Know Your Customer process before any transaction: identity verification, company registration and ultimate beneficial ownership, proof of funds, and sanctions and PEP screening. Our anti-money-laundering program follows the standards US law expects of precious metals dealers.
Documents before metal moves
Provenance paperwork, export permits, assay reports and chain-of-custody records are delivered to the buyer before the gold travels. You verify the paper trail first; the metal follows it.
Protect yourself: the red flags
Whether you trade with us or anyone else, the US government's own guidance on West African gold fraud is blunt. Walk away from any deal that shows these signs:
- ✦Any seller asking for upfront payments, "export taxes" or "clearance fees" before delivery
- ✦Official-looking government documents sent as proof — verify licences directly with the issuing authority
- ✦Communication only through WhatsApp or personal email, with no registered company address
- ✦Prices far below the world market rate — discounted gold is the oldest bait in this trade
- ✦Pressure to decide quickly or to keep the deal secret
Verify us
Maisha Trading LLC is a registered US limited liability company (Proof No. W27707520), reachable at a published US phone number and a physical office address in Bowie, Maryland. We encourage every prospective counterparty to verify our registration, call us, and start with our KYC process — the same one we will ask you to complete.
Verify our partner in Ghana
Our Ghana source is AFA-EF Mining Limited — registered in Ghana and licensed by the Ghana Gold Board as a Self-Financing Aggregator. Before any metal moves we put its licence documents in front of you, and we will not ask you to take our word for it: every gold licence issued in Ghana is published by the Ghana Gold Board, so you can search the registry yourself and confirm the name and licence number before you commit a cent.
- Ghana company registration
- CS00909••••
- GoldBod Self-Financing Aggregator licence
- GGB/SFA/SF0233/•••/25
We publish the numbers in part only, so they cannot be lifted from this page and misused by impersonators. The full registration and licence numbers — together with the original licence documents — are disclosed directly to you once your inquiry passes our KYC screening, and you can then confirm them against the Ghana Gold Board registry before any commitment.
Beware of impersonators
Maisha Trading LLC communicates only from info@mt-lc.com and this website, mt-lc.com. We never ask for upfront fees, and we never approach buyers through messaging apps or social media. If anyone contacts you using our name or our partners' licence details from any other address, it is not us — report it to us and to the authorities.