Gold production in Burkina Faso rose 58 percent year on year to 70.43 tonnes by the end of September 2025, surpassing the total output of about 61 tonnes in 2024, local press reports citing Mines Minister Yacouba Zabré Gouba said.
The surge was driven mainly by the artisanal sector, which produced 29.56 tonnes in the first nine months of 2025, up sharply from 5.57 tonnes over the same period in 2024.
Authorities attribute the rise in artisanal output to reforms following the creation of the National Company for Precious Substances (SONASP), which purchases artisanal and semi-mechanized gold and operates buying counters across the country to better monitor production that had previously escaped state oversight. The government has also supported the formalization of artisanal mining cooperatives, integrating them into official gold marketing channels.
Industrial production, mostly by foreign mining companies, grew more modestly to 40.87 tonnes by September 2025, from 39.24 tonnes a year earlier, after three years of decline caused by mine closures and asset sales by major operators, including Fortuna Mining and Endeavour Mining.
Canadian miner Orezone completed an $80 million investment in mid-December 2025, boosting output at its Bomboré gold mine by 45 percent.
However, resource nationalism under President Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who came to power in a 2022 coup, continues to challenge foreign operators. The government has requested a stake increase to 50 percent in the Kiaka gold mine, currently held at 15 percent, with expected annual production of more than seven tonnes over 20 years.
Australian owner West African Resources said it was evaluating options to counter the proposed state participation. Other projects could face similar demands under Burkina Faso’s new 2024 mining code, which allows the state to acquire significant equity stakes in mining operations.
Burkina Faso is one of Africa’s top gold producers, with the precious metal forming the backbone of its mining sector and a major contributor to foreign exchange earnings. Over the past decade, gold has surpassed cotton to become the country’s primary export, attracting foreign investment and supporting government revenues.
The country’s gold output is split between industrial mining operations, mostly operated by foreign companies from Canada, Australia, and South Africa, and artisanal and semi-mechanized mining, which employs hundreds of thousands of local miners. Industrial mines dominate production in terms of volume and capital intensity, while artisanal mining accounts for a growing share of total output, particularly in remote areas.
