Guinea Opens 1st Gold Refinery Months After Raw Gold Export Ban

Guinea has opened its first gold refinery in the capital, Conakry, as the West African country intensifies efforts to process its mineral resources locally and increase the economic benefits from gold production.
The inauguration of the Nimba Gold Refinery on Sunday, November 1, 2026, comes months after President Mamady Doumbouya announced a ban on raw gold exports, directing mining companies to refine and certify the mineral within the country before exporting it.
Speaking at the inauguration, the Minister of Mines and Geology, Bouna Sylla, said Guinea had for centuries extracted and exported gold in its unprocessed form without benefiting from the additional value generated through ...