Burkina Faso is gradually strengthening its control over its gold mining industry.
For the past three years, Ouagadougou has undertaken a profound restructuring of mining operations to reduce the dominance of foreign multinationals and increase national participation, reports the specialised media outlet Mines Actu Burkina.
By the end of 2025, six of the 15 active industrial mines, representing 40% of the national mining capacity, were majority-owned by Burkinabe companies.
Among them, three are directly controlled by the state through the Burkina Faso Mining Participation Company (SOPAMIB).
This development marks a major turning point in the recent history of the country’s mining sector, which has long been dominated by foreign capital in industrial gold mining.
The Burkinabe authorities present this strategy as a cornerstone of their economic sovereignty policy. At the groundbreaking ceremony forthe national gold refinery in November 2023, President Ibrahim Traore declared the country’s intention “to extract gold ourselves.”
According to Mines Actu Burkina, prior to the arrival of the current authorities, only one industrial mine was operated by a national company: businessman Elie Ouedraogo, owner of the Riverstone Karma mine.
The media outlet also highlights the emergence of new local investors, notably Inoussa Kanazoe, founder of the Soleil Resources International group, who reportedly acquired the BMC and Roxgold mines.
The authorities justify these reforms by their desire to maximise the local economic benefits of the gold sector, strengthen national economic sovereignty, and better secure strategic resources in a
regional context marked by insecurity.
The stated objective is to make mineral resources an engine of national development, the financing of public infrastructure, and the industrialisation of the country.
HO/te/Sf/fss/as/APA