APA – Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) – On Thursday, November 23, Captain Ibrahim Traoré inaugurated the construction of a gold refinery in Ouagadougou.
The first gold refinery in the country will have a production capacity of 150 tons of 99.99 percent pure gold per year, or about 400 kg of gold per day. Its first 22-carat gold bars are expected in 11 months, according to technicians.
The interim authorities are already talking in terms of “sovereignty; just to have control over the gold.”
“It will no longer be a question of taking our gold abroad for refining. We will refine it locally, and we will know the real content of the raw gold that comes out. That’s very important,” said Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who is urging local gold miners to use the refinery.
“A lot of gold flows out of Burkina fraudulently, and that helps fuel terrorism. So, we’re inviting gold miners, collectors and others to bring their gold to the headquarters, and at the same time we’re inviting SONASP (Société Nationale des Substances Précieuses) to multiply the number of counters so that they can collect the gold,” he stressed.
The gold refinery project is being implemented by SONAPS in partnership with the Malian mining company Marena Gold. This company will be responsible for mobilizing the resources and skills required for its operation.
The refinery will also include a hotel complex and a jewelry store.
Built on a 5-hectare site, the refinery will create 100 direct jobs and 5,000 indirect jobs.
The decision to build a national gold refinery was taken by the Council of Ministers on April 5. The aim is to capitalize on the country’s mining potential, particularly gold, which is experiencing significant growth.
Gold mining is a major contributor to national revenue, which is expected to reach 430.916 billion CFA francs in 2021 and 540.984 billion CFA francs in 2022. An increase of 110.068 billion CFA francs.
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