• In the form of 44 ingots
• Obtained from the treatment of 142.37 tonnes of mining residues
• They will be returned to the gold reserve established by the State
This is a first in Burkina Faso. The Managing Director of the Golden Hand SA company, Joachim Marie Emmanuel Tapsoba, handed over, on Tuesday December 10, 2024, to the Prime Minister, 93.197 kilograms of gold extracted from mining residues abandoned by the Essakane company for the benefit of the Burkinabe State.
The mining residues, which had been the subject of legal action by the State against the Canadian mining company Essakane, were finally abandoned by the company for the benefit of the Burkinabè State. In addition, Essakane had undertaken to pay the sum of 9 billion FCFA to the government, in compensation for the damage.
“As part of the outcome of the so-called fine coal affair, at the request of the company IAMGold Essakane, a transactional agreement was concluded between it and the State in December 2023. At the end of this agreement, in addition to the payment of a fine of 9 billion FCFA by the company IAMGOLD Essakane, it was agreed to abandon for the benefit of the State the entire cargo of fine coal, objects of the dispute, i.e. in total more than 440 tonnes of mining residues,” recalled the Prime Minister.
The gold handed over to the government represents the first batch of processed residue. These are 44 gold bars with an estimated weight of 93.197 kilograms, including 1.628 kg of slag, obtained from the processing of 142.37 tonnes of mining residues, which were handed over to the Prime Minister, Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo. For the Managing Director of the company Golden Hand SA, responsible for processing fine coal, Joachim Marie Emmanuel Tapsoba, the delivery of gold is a significant act for its structure. “The delivery of this first tranche is not only an economic or financial transaction, but it represents our commitment to the Burkinabe people whose aspirations and dream of a better future we share. We are also aware of the responsibilities incumbent upon us and we are committed to playing our part to further deserve the trust of our strategic partner,” indicated Joachim Marie Emmanuel Tapsoba.
An economy based on national actors
The processing of mining residues was entrusted to a national company following the wishes of the government. To achieve this, the State set up a residue treatment plant, inaugurated in January 2024, by the President of Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré. A memorandum of understanding was initialed on July 15, 2024, with the company Golden Hand SA, whose shares are 40% owned by the Burkinabe state and 60% by players in the mining sector. For Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, the choice of Golden Hand SA responds to the vision of the Head of State. “The choice made by the State on this company for the processing of the cargo of fine coal reflects the desire of His Excellency the President of Faso, Head of State, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, to create wealth for through the promotion of national expertise in our mining sector, a guarantee of endogenous and sustainable socio-economic development,” he noted.
According to the Managing Director of Golden Hand SA, this is a sure way to develop the national mining sector with local players. “I am convinced that together we can build a mining sector that is not only profitable, but also sustainable and beneficial for all. Together, let's continue to build a future where gold shines not only for its value, but also for its positive impact on our environment and our communities,” he said. After the treatment of this first wave, another 298 tonnes of residue will soon be processed to extract the gold contained therein. All of the gold that will be extracted from the mining residues abandoned by Essakane for the benefit of the State will be returned to the gold reserve. “This means that the creation of the National Gold Reserve for the benefit of the Burkinabè people is well underway and will be consolidated by several other initiatives to come,” concluded Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo.
Issaka SAWADOGO (Collaborator)
Boxed
About fine coal
The fine coal from the Essakane plant comes from the crumbling of coarse coal used in the CIL (carbon in leach) process to absorb gold in solution. It adsorbs the gold contained in the final solution. This carbon is then collected from which a solution is extracted which is finally subjected to electrolytic extraction making it possible to recover the metallic gold on the electrodes. The fine coal affair in Burkina Faso broke out in 2019. Accused of wanting to take mining residues out of the country, the company IAMGOLD Essakane ended up reaching an agreement with the Burkinabe state. She pledged to pay 9 billion FCFA and to abandon the residuals for the benefit of the Burkinabè State. The negotiations ended with the establishment of the mining residue processing plant in Ouagadougou, the management of which was entrusted to the company Golden Hand SA.
