Burkina Faso has opened its first gold refinery as President Ibrahim Traoré’s military-led government seeks greater control over the country’s natural resources and less dependence on foreign partners. At the refinery’s opening in Ouagadougou, Traoré said gold should be extracted, processed, controlled, valued, and certified within Burkina Faso. The facility, known as Raffinor-BF, was built on five hectares and has an initial stated capacity of 164 metric tons of gold annually, with plans to reach 515 metric tons. Last year, the country produced 94 metric tons of gold. The refinery cost more than $19 million and received financing from the government as well as private-sector investors. The initiative follows similar moves elsewhere in West Africa, where governments are seeking to retain more value from mineral production and reduce reliance on raw-material exports.