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Wetin to know about Burkina Faso gold refinery wey junta leader Ibrahim Traoré open Wia dis foto come from, Burkina Faso presidency/Facebook Wetin we call dis foto, Captain Ibrahim Traoré bin don insist say make di state control Burkina Faso natural resources Author, Wycliffe Muia Published one hour wey don pass Read am in 5 mins Ibrahim Traoré led Burkina Faso don open dia first gold refinery as di military govment dey look to process more of di kontri mineral wealth for house. Di junta govment dey also tighten control of one of im most ogbonge industry Di junta leader Ibrahim Traoré tok say dis na part of wider effort to end di work wey di kontri dey depend on, wey be say dem dey export raw materials to process abroad. E tok as dem dey launch di plant for di capital city, Ouagadougou, on Monday say, "we wan refine all our metals for ground... we want make di full value chain dey on ground." Burkina Faso na one of di biggest gold producer but di authorities don dey struggle to regulate di informal mining sector, wey di jihadist kasala for di area don scata.
Di govment of Traoré dey hope say di new facility fit turn di landlocked kontri to bicom regional gold-refining hub. Wit gold production on di rise, Traoré govment set up a state-owned mining company two years ago. Foreign mining firms are now required to give the state a 15% stake in their operations and train local workers.
The World Gold Council said output rose by 17% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, helped by increased production at several mines. But successive governments have struggled to regulate the country's extensive artisanal and small-scale mining industry, where smuggling and informal trading have made it difficult for the authorities to account for all the gold produced. The government has also alleged that some illegally traded gold helps finance the Islamist insurgency that has engulfed much of the country.
Burkina Faso has been fighting armed Islamist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State for years, with large areas outside full government control. The new refinery, known as Raffinor-BF, cost more than 11bn CFA francs ($19m; £14m), according to the presidency. It said the project was financed by the state, including through the National Precious Metals Company (Sonasp), in partnership with Burkina Faso's private sector.
The plant will initially be capable of refining 164 tonnes of gold a year, significantly more than the country's current annual production. The government says its eventual capacity could rise to 515 tonnes, suggesting it also wants the refinery to process gold from elsewhere in the region. "This is the day we take back the keys to our own house," Mines Minister Yacouba Zabré Gouba said at the opening.
"Our gold will no longer be used to create added value for others while our people remain in need." Wia dis foto come from, Burkina Faso presidency/Facebook Wetin we call dis foto, Di plant go first start wit di ability to refine 164 tonnes of gold per year, according to di presidency Di refinery na di latest in Capt Traoré waka to grow state control ova di natural resources wey Burkina Faso get and reduce di economic dependence on foreign companies and former Western partners. Since e gbab power for coup in September 2022, di 38 year old captain don dey promote nationalist economic agenda wey di koko of am na domestic production and greater control of dis ogbonge industries. Im govment don increase di way di state dey chook hand inside di mining sector and dey find wey to reorganise how di market of artisinal gold go be.
Di authorities bin match break on top di exportation of gold by artisanal and semi-mechanised mines for 2024. Dem make dis move say e go help dem to regulate di sector wella. Capt Traoré don accuse smugglers bifor say dem dey carry plenti gold comot Burkina Faso illegally and some of di money na im dey finance militant groups.
Di refinery na also part of di bigger govment campaign to process more products for inside di kontri instead of to just export am raw like dat. Traoré don present dos kain projects say dem be proof say Burkina Faso don dey bicom more self reliant economically. Dis na as dem dey invest for industries wey include cotton, textiles and food processing.
Dis policies dey matcj wit time wey di international price of gold don dey historically high. Burkina Faso govment dey reason say dis new plant go soom fit refine all di gold wey both industrial mines and artisinal miners dey produce. Plenti oda West African kontris don dey find way to process more of dia gold for house.
Guinea and Ghana don start to dey block di exports of unrefined gold, and Mali now dey build dia first refinery wit one Russian company. Ivory Coast sef get plans to opern refinery next year.
Source: BBC
