Finding Verified Buyers and Sellers in West Africa
Before you pay or sign, confirm that a buyer or seller is a registered business, holds the licences its activity requires and can prove what it says it can deliver. Capital Africa runs these checks in Guinea and Sierra Leone and shares the findings, including what could not be confirmed, before you decide.
What a check covers
Registration and ownership, the licences the activity needs, references you can contact independently, the documents offered and whether they can be confirmed with the issuing authority, and a site visit where the goods or operation can be seen.
Warning signs
Pressure to pay quickly or in advance, documents that cannot be confirmed with the issuing authority, refusal of independent inspection, and prices well below the market are reasons to stop and check before going further.
Questions People Ask
How do I verify a gold seller in West Africa?
Ask for the seller’s company registration and any dealer or export licence the country requires, and confirm them with the issuing authority. Insist on independent assay and inspection before any payment, and never pay in advance for gold that has not been tested. Our article on how gold trading works explains what has to be proved.
What is the Kimberley Process?
An international certification scheme for rough diamonds, set up to keep conflict diamonds out of trade between participating countries. Our article explains what a Kimberley Process certificate shows and what it does not.
Can a check guarantee that a seller is honest?
No check can. It reduces risk by confirming what can be confirmed: registration, licences, ownership, references and documents. We share what we found and what we could not confirm, so you decide with the evidence in front of you.
What are the most common warning signs?
Pressure to pay quickly or in advance, documents that cannot be confirmed with the issuing authority, refusal of independent inspection, and prices well below the market.
Prepared by Capital Africa. Written 28 October 2026. General guidance, not legal or investment advice.
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Tell us what you are working on. We will tell you plainly what we would check first and how we can help.