Burkina Faso has opened its first gold refinery so that the country can now process its own gold instead of sending it abroad.
Military leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré opened the refinery, called Raffinor-BF, in the capital Ouagadougou on Monday, 28 September 2026.
The refinery cost more than 11 billion CFA francs, which is about $19 million. The government said it built it with money from the state company in charge of precious metals, Sonasp, together with local private businesses.
For years, Burkina Faso has been one of the biggest gold producers in Africa, but it has been exporting raw gold to other countries for refining. Traoré said that has to stop.
“We want to refine all our metals on site… we want to have the entire value chain on site,” he said.
The new plant will first be able to refine 164 tonnes of gold per year. That is more than what the country currently produces – about 94 tonnes last year. Later, government says it will increase to 515 tonnes so that it can also refine gold from other countries in the region.
The refinery will handle gold from big mining companies and from small-scale miners. It can turn raw gold into pure bars of 99.9 percent, and it has a lab, storage and even a jewellery workshop.
Mines Minister Yacouba Zabré Gouba said: “This is the day we take back the keys to our own house. Our gold will no longer be used to create added value for others while our people remain in need.”
Since taking power in a coup in 2022, Traoré has been trying to take more control of the country’s resources. His government has set up a state mining company, taken over some mines, and made foreign companies give the state 15 percent share in their operations.
He has also complained that a lot of gold is smuggled out of the country illegally, and that some of that money helps to fund terrorists. Burkina Faso has been fighting jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State for years.
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