• Gold production reaches 70.43 tons by end-September 2025
• Artisanal output rises sharply to 29.56 tons over nine months
• Industrial production remains largely flat despite higher gold prices

Gold production in Burkina Faso rose 58% year on year to 70.43 tons by the end of September 2025, compared with about 61 tons for the whole of 2024. According to details reported this week by the local press, citing Mines Minister Yacouba Zabré Gouba, the increase was driven mainly by the artisanal sector, where collected output reached 29.56 tons in the first nine months of 2025, up from 5.57 tons over the same period in 2024.

The rise in artisanal production comes as no surprise and reflects gradual progress made in recent years following the creation of the National Company for Precious Substances (SONASP). The entity is responsible for purchasing artisanal and semi-mechanized gold output and has set up buying counters across the country to better monitor production flows that had largely escaped state oversight. Authorities have also supported the formalization of artisanal mining cooperatives, integrating them into official gold marketing channels.

The formalization of artisanal mining has helped offset the slowdown in industrial production, which stood at 40.87 tons at end-September 2025, compared with 39.24 tons a year earlier. After three consecutive years of declining gold output, linked to mine closures due to insecurity and asset sales by major mining companies undergoing strategic reorganization, including Fortuna Mining and Endeavour Mining, Burkina Faso has moved to regain control of certain mines and attract investors for new projects.

Industrial miners under pressure

While these measures are gradually yielding results amid a 65% rise in gold prices, production from industrial mines still largely operated by foreign mining companies remains dominant. Canadian miner Orezone completed an $80 million investment in mid-December 2025, enabling a 45% increase in output at its Bomboré gold mine.

However, the resource nationalism promoted by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who came to power in a 2022 coup, continues to weigh on the outlook for foreign operators. The Burkinabe government has submitted a request this year to raise its stake to as much as 50% in the Kiaka gold mine, one of the country’s largest, with expected average annual production of more than 7 tons over 20 years.

Kiaka’s Australian owner, West African Resources, said it is considering several options to avoid the state’s increased participation, as Burkina Faso currently holds a 15% stake. The outcome remains uncertain. Other gold projects could face similar demands under the new mining code adopted in 2024, which allows the state to acquire, for consideration, significant equity stakes in mining operations.

Emiliano Tossou