Burkina Faso: First Gold Refinery to Strengthen Economic Sovereignty

Burkina Faso has inaugurated its first gold refinery, named RAFFINOR-BF, in Ouagadougou. Built since 2023, it has an initial refining capacity of 164 tonnes per year, with a long-term goal of 515 tonnes. The project, costing 11 billion CFA francs (about 19 million dollars), was financed by the government and local private investors. Junta leader Ibrahim Traoré stated that this facility symbolizes the country's aim to move beyond exporting raw materials and to refine all its metals locally, establishing full value chain control.