Omanghana
Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has inaugurated the country’s first gold refinery, advancing efforts to process more of its mineral resources domestically and retain a greater share of mining revenue.
The facility, named RAFFINOR-BF, is located in the Ouaga 2000 district of Ouagadougou. It represents an investment of 11 billion CFA francs, approximately $19 million, financed by the government through the state precious-metals company SONASP and local private-sector partners.
Built on a five-hectare site, the refinery has an initial annual processing capacity of 164 tones and is designed to produce gold bars with a purity of 99.99%.
A planned second phase would raise capacity to 515 tones annually, potentially positioning Burkina Faso as a destination for gold refining across West Africa. The figures represent processing capacity rather than the country’s annual gold production.
The complex includes a foundry, an automated testing laboratory, secure storage and a jeweler production unit. Together, these facilities are intended to expand domestic activities beyond extraction and support further processing of precious metals.
Government estimates indicate that the project will create about 100 direct jobs and more than 5,000 indirect employment opportunities.
Gold is Burkina Faso’s principal export, making the sector central to the government’s economic strategy. Authorities view domestic refining as a means of reducing dependence on overseas processors while capturing more value from the country’s mineral wealth.
Speaking at the inauguration, Traoré said the government wanted to extend its control across the stages of mineral production.
“We want to refine all our metals on site… we want to take control of the entire value chain,” he said.
Mines Minister Yacouba Zabré Gouba described the opening as an important moment in the country’s pursuit of greater economic control.
“This is the day we take back the keys to our own house,” he said.
The refinery forms part of wider changes in Burkina Faso’s mining sector aimed at increasing state participation and strengthening domestic benefits from resource extraction. These include revisions raising the government’s free-carried interest in mining projects from 10% to 15%, alongside moves to bring some foreign-held mining assets under state control.
Authorities are presenting RAFFINOR-BF as a foundation for a broader domestic processing industry, with the proposed expansion expected to extend its reach beyond Burkina Faso’s borders.
Source: Omanghana
