# 30. West Africa: new gold refineries must win over major producers
West Africa is multiplying gold refining projects to retain more value on the continent. Burkina Faso has inaugurated Raffinor-BF, Côte d’Ivoire plans a 100-tonne-per-year facility for 2027 and Mali is developing a refinery with an announced capacity of 200 tonnes. This strategy responds to a strong political expectation: processing the metal locally before it is marketed. However, installing a plant guarantees neither its supply nor the support of major industrial producers, who need competitive costs, reliable timelines and certifications recognized by international markets.
The three countries are advancing on different schedules. In Burkina Faso, the Raffinor-BF refinery was inaugurated in Ouagadougou on September 28, 2026. Its first phase has a theoretical capacity of 164 tonnes of gold a year, with potential expansion to 515 tonnes. The government intends to process industrial and artisanal production there. In Côte d’Ivoire, the state announced in September that the Société ivoirienne des métaux précieux (SIMEP) was becoming operational. It is intended to integrate a national purchasing office, collection, certification and a refining unit with an announced capacity of 100 tonnes a year. In Mali, the project developed with Russian group Yadran provides for a capacity of 200 tonnes.
These facilities reflect a broader shift in mining policies. Governments want greater control over gold's journey from production to export. Refining can improve traceability, facilitate tax collection and strengthen states' access to production data. When combined with a formal purchasing system and reliable procedures, it can also help channel some artisanal gold into documented supply chains. Côte d’Ivoire presents SIMEP as a tool connecting a purchasing office, secure logistics and marketing, rather than simply a refining plant.
The first challenge is supply. A refinery's nominal capacity does not correspond to the volume of metal actually processed. It must attract regular batches, establish their origin and offer terms that encourage sellers to use national channels. Burkina Faso is targeting initial capacity above 160 tonnes a year, while the country's reported production was 94 tonnes in 2025. This requires effective collection of artisanal gold, future production growth or access to volumes from other markets. Expansion projections of several hundred tonnes must therefore be assessed against available sources of supply.
Major mining companies often have established commercial relationships with international refiners. They will not automatically choose a new national facility simply because it is nearby. They will examine total service costs, settlement speed, security guarantees, assay quality and buyers' recognition of the bars. A shortfall on these criteria can absorb the logistical advantage of local processing. Regional refineries will therefore have to demonstrate sustained compliance and reliability to attract industrial volumes.
Local processing requirements can change producers' choices, but must be accompanied by predictable rules. If domestic refining becomes an export condition, the authorities will need to specify applicable standards, certification mechanisms and responsibilities in the event of disagreement over a batch's grade or value. Mining companies will want to know who oversees assays, how fees are calculated and how quickly products can be sold. Transparent procedures reduce the risk of disputes and the temptation to bypass official channels.
Collecting artisanal gold presents a separate difficulty. Potential volumes are substantial, but some production escapes official statistics and passes through informal networks. A refinery cannot solve traceability, financing and formalization problems on its own. It must be integrated into arrangements capable of identifying producers, securing transactions and meeting anti-money-laundering requirements. Otherwise, the plant risks operating below capacity or processing batches whose origin remains disputed.
Competing projects could also redistribute regional flows. If Burkina Faso, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire all develop their capacity, operators will seek the best balance between cost, security and market access. Volumes could cross borders to reach the most competitive facility, provided export and transit rules allow it. Refineries must therefore look beyond their domestic market and establish regional commercial relationships.
Local added value is not limited to refining. It depends on expertise in assaying, insurance, secure transport, trading and access to investment markets. The specialized partnerships announced in Côte d’Ivoire illustrate this logic by combining collection, logistics, marketing and international standards. The success of these structures will be judged by national companies' ability to develop skills and capture a lasting share of revenues along the chain.
The next step will therefore be commercial as much as industrial. Indicators to monitor include volumes actually refined, their origin, the share from industrial and artisanal mines, processing costs, payment timelines and certifications obtained. Refineries can strengthen economic sovereignty if they offer a credible, competitive service. To convince major producers, they will need to move from announced capacity to verifiable, repeatable results.