Burkina Faso opens first gold refinery
The nation is among Africa's largest gold producers, but has struggled to regulate its informal mining sector.
Burkina Faso inaugurated its first gold refinery, signaling the junta-led government's determination to process the nation's gold reserves domestically and curb raw mineral exports. The country, one of Africa's leading gold producers, has faced challenges in regulating its unstructured mining sector. Junta leader Ibrahim Traoré, who officially opened the facility on Monday, announced the project as part of a long-term strategy for the sector.
"For everything related to the extractive industry, we want to have the entire value chain in the country," Traoré stated. He also pledged to secure domestic control over other valuable minerals such as lithium, copper, and nickel. Many African nations are adopting policies to retain more value from their natural resources. African leaders have been advocating for the establishment of domestic processing and refining capacities instead of shipping minerals abroad.
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- Burkina Faso opens first gold refinery ghanaiantimes.com.gh
- Burkina Faso: Burkina Faso Launches First Gold Refinery allafrica.com
