OUAGADOUGOU – Burkina Faso has opened its first gold refinery as the country’s military-led government moves to process more of its mineral resources domesti...
OUAGADOUGOU – Burkina Faso has opened its first gold refinery as the country’s military-led government moves to process more of its mineral resources domestically and retain a greater share of the value generated by its mining industry.
Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who has led Burkina Faso since the 2022 military coup, inaugurated the National Gold Refinery of Burkina Faso, known as RAFFINOR-BF, in the capital Ouagadougou on Monday, September 28.
The government says the facility is part of a broader effort to reduce dependence on exporting raw minerals and develop a complete domestic value chain for gold and other resources.
Traoré said Burkina Faso wanted to move beyond simply extracting gold and sending it abroad for processing.
“Our ambition is no longer to be just a country that extracts and takes its raw materials abroad. We want to refine all our metals locally,” he said at the inauguration, according to the government’s Information Service.
The refinery was built at a cost of more than 11 billion CFA francs, about US$19 million, with financing provided by the Burkinabe state, including through the National Precious Substances Company, SONASP, together with private-sector partners.
RAFFINOR-BF will initially have the capacity to process 164 tonnes of gold annually. Authorities plan to increase the capacity to 515 tonnes a year in a future expansion.
The refinery is expected to process gold from both industrial and artisanal mining operations. The government says domestic processing will allow more refining, certification, control and storage activities to take place inside Burkina Faso rather than abroad.
Burkina Faso is one of West Africa’s major gold producers. The country reported gold production of about 94 tonnes in 2025, according to figures cited by the Associated Press.
Gold is a major part of Burkina Faso’s economy, but the industry has also faced challenges from insecurity, informal mining and illicit gold trafficking. Armed Islamist groups have operated in parts of the country, while authorities have sought greater control over the mining sector.
Since taking power, Traoré’s government has increased state involvement in mining. The government has also presented control over natural resources as part of its broader policy of reducing dependence on traditional foreign partners.
The refinery is therefore being positioned by the government not only as an industrial project but also as part of its economic policy. Officials say processing and certifying gold domestically could improve oversight of production and financial flows.
Energy, Mines and Quarries Minister Yacouba Zabré Gouba described the project as an assertion of national control over the country’s mineral wealth. He said the facility would help ensure that gold extracted in Burkina Faso also generates value inside the country.
The government also expects the refinery to create employment and develop technical skills among Burkinabe workers. Officials have called on young people to acquire skills that would allow them to participate in different stages of the mining and refining value chain.
Burkina Faso’s move is part of a wider trend in West Africa, where governments are seeking greater control over mineral resources and more domestic processing. Ghana, Guinea, Mali and Ivory Coast have also taken steps in recent years to increase local control over gold production and refining.
The new refinery will initially be capable of processing substantially more gold than Burkina Faso currently produces, although its ability to operate at full capacity will depend on the amount of gold supplied to the facility.
The government ultimately wants RAFFINOR-BF to process the country’s gold production and help position Burkina Faso as a regional gold-refining centre.
For Traoré’s administration, the project represents a shift from exporting raw mineral resources towards processing them locally. Whether the refinery can achieve its planned capacity and generate the broader economic benefits expected by the government will depend on production, supply, regulation and the security situation affecting the mining sector.
