Burkina Faso opens first gold refinery

Dakar, Sept. 30: Burkina Faso has opened its first gold refinery as its military-led government seeks greater economic sovereignty after severing ties with traditional Western partners.

"From now on, gold from Burkina Faso must not only be extracted in Burkina Faso, it must be processed, controlled, valued and certified in Burkina Faso," President Ibrahim Traore, who has ruled the West African country since a 2022 military coup, said on Monday at the opening of the refinery, known as Raffinor-BF.

Across West Africa, governments are taking steps to reclaim control over their natural resources by rewriting mining codes, banning exports of raw produce and boosting government ownership. Guinea and Ghana recently restricted gold exports. Mali said it was building a gold refinery together with Russia's Yadran Group, and Ivory Coast announced it would open one next year.