Burkina Faso has produced its first gold bar at the country’s newly inaugurated national gold refinery, RAFFINOR-BF, marking a new step in the government’s push to process more of its mineral wealth domestically.

The first bar was presented on Monday, September 28, following the inauguration of the refinery in Ouagadougou by Captain Ibrahim Traoré. The facility is Burkina Faso’s first national gold refinery and is intended to reduce the country’s reliance on exporting gold for processing elsewhere.

Image Credit: Burkina Faso Presidency/Facebook

Built at a cost of more than 11 billion CFA francs (about $19 million), RAFFINOR-BF has an initial refining capacity of 164 tonnes of gold a year. A second phase is expected to eventually increase capacity to 515 tonnes annually.

The refinery includes a foundry, analysis laboratory, secure storage facilities and a jewellery unit. Government officials say the facility will allow Burkina Faso to retain more value from its gold industry while improving the traceability and marketing of its production.

The move is significant for a country where gold has become the leading export product. Burkina Faso produced about 94 tonnes of gold in 2025, according to the country’s Ministry of Energy, Mines and Quarries.

RAFFINOR-BF is designed to turn doré gold into fine-gold bars with purity of up to 99.99%, according to Burkinabè government sources. The facility’s operators say it is built to international standards and could eventually serve gold producers beyond Burkina Faso.