Burkina Faso's Ibrahim Traoré opens first gold refinery in Ouagadougou

Burkina Faso's military leader Ibrahim Traoré inaugurated the country's first gold refinery, Raffinor-BF, in Ouagadougou, to process more of its mineral wealth domestically and strengthen state control over the industry. The refinery, costing over 11 billion CFA francs, can initially refine 164 tonnes of gold annually, with a future capacity of up to 515 tonnes. The initiative aims to reduce reliance on exporting raw materials and combat illegal gold trading linked to insurgency financing.