OUAGADOUGOU — Burkina Faso inaugurated its first gold refinery on Monday, a $19 million plant designed to turn locally mined dore into fine gold bars instead of sending the metal abroad for processing.
President Ibrahim Traoré opened RAFFINOR-BF in the Ouaga 2000 district of the capital. The state-controlled facility, financed through the National Precious Substances Company (SONASP) and private partners, cost 11 billion CFA francs. Managing Director Adama Sawadogo said the first phase can refine 164 tonnes of gold a year. A second phase is planned to raise capacity to 515 tonnes.
The plant is built to process dore into bars of up to 99.99% purity. It includes a foundry, an analysis laboratory, secure storage and a jewelry unit. SONASP’s headquarters is also on the five-hectare site. Officials said the project should create about 100 direct jobs and more than 5,000 indirect jobs. Construction began in November 2023, when Traoré laid the foundation stone.
