Burkina Faso has inaugurated its first gold refinery, a major step in the military-led government’s drive to take tighter control of the country’s mineral wealth and move away from exporting raw materials.
The Raffinor-BF facility in Ouagadougou was built at a cost of more than $19 million and can process 164 tonnes of gold annually. Authorities plan to expand that capacity to 515 tonnes. The government said the refinery would bring greater oversight to the informal mining sector, combat smuggling and ensure that more of the value generated by gold remains in Burkina Faso.
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The facility forms part of Captain Ibrahim Traoré’s wider effort to strengthen state involvement in mining and expand domestic processing. The government has also connected illegal gold trading with the financing of Islamist armed groups.
