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Vol 66 No 9

Published 2nd May 2025


Burkina Faso

The juntas join the gold rush

On 23 April, Niger advanced its mineral development by partnering with Emirati firm Suvarna Royal Gold Trading LLC. The deal, formalised in Niamey, establishes Royal Gold Niger SA, which will build the country’s first gold refinery, jewellery production, and gemstone processing facilities. Yet the Niamey junta’s claims of probity took a knock when it invited Suvarna CEO Kamlesh Mansukhlal Damji Pattni to the opening ceremony as a putative partner. Exposed for serial fraud in gold trading schemes in Kenya and Zimbabwe, Pattni is also under United States Treasury sanctions for grand corruption.

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