The military junta in Burkina Faso has ended its reliance on foreign refineries by establishing the capacity to process gold domestically. President Ibrahim Traore inaugurated the nation's first gold refinery to enable the state to treat its mineral resources locally and maintain control over the entire value chain from extraction to production.

The initiative is a strategic move to keep mining profits at home and maximize the economic benefits of the country's gold deposits. Traore stated that refining the metal within its own borders allows the government to stop the outflow of wealth and ensure that mineral resources support the domestic economy.