Bangladesh, Oct. 25 -- Burkina Fasos inauguration of its first national gold refinery, Raffinor-BF, in September 2026 marks a significant step in the governments effort to gain greater control over the countrys mineral wealth. The facility can initially process 164 tonnes of gold annually, with plans to expand capacity to 515 tonnes. Yet Burkina Faso reported approximately 94 tonnes of gold production in 2025. This raises a fundamental question: Can domestic refining deliver genuine economic sovereignty when processing capacity exceeds national production and the institutions responsible for managing mineral revenues remain under scrutiny?

Refining gold is not the same as creating wealth

Burkina Faso is not alone in pursuing this strate...