Who Owns Burkina Faso's Bissa Gold Mine?

Nordgold, a Russian miner, holds most of Bissa. The Burkinabè state holds the rest.

Bissa is one of Burkina Faso's largest gold mines, in the Centre-Nord Region, about 85 km north of Ouagadougou. Ownership runs through Bissa Gold SA, which owns both Bissa and the nearby Bouly deposit.

Nordgold holds 90% of it through its 100% stake in High River Gold, and the state of Burkina Faso holds 10%.The 90/10 split still stands today, and Bissa Gold SA is a Nordgold subsidiary. Who is behind Nordgold? Nordgold is controlled by the family of Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov.

Wikipedia lists him as its principal shareholder, with a 99.08% stake. The US sanctioned Nordgold in June 2022.

History. Gold production began in January 2013, making Nordgold the first miner to operate two mines in Burkina Faso, after Taparko. The state's 10% interest was set out in a mining convention signed with the state on 29 May 2012, after the mining licence was granted in 2010. Bissa and Bouly support more than 1,300 jobs, 95% of them held by Burkinabè nationals.

Expansion under the junta. In April 2025 Burkina Faso awarded Nordgold an industrial mining licence for the Niou deposit near Bissa. The state holds 15% of Niou under the country's new mining regulations, without any financial contribution. Analysts quoted by Reuters linked the licence to the government's budget pressures and its pivot toward Moscow.

A possible sale. Okto Group, a Russian gold miner, has been weighing a purchase of Bissa and Bouly in a deal valued at $1 billion or more. I found no confirmation that a sale has been agreed. The same report says two Russian private security firms are fighting over the contract to guard Bissa.This shows how closely security and ownership are tied together in the Sahel.

Why it matters. Bissa shows how Russian capital stays embedded in West African extractives despite sanctions. It also shows Sahel governments taking larger state shares in mines, as with the 15% at Niou.

Whoever owns Bissa next will say a lot about the direction of Russia's economic influence in the region.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,

International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. (USIP)

[email protected]
+233555275880

References
Wikipedia, "Bissa mine": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bissa_mine

Nordgold operations sheet on Bissa (via Land Matrix): https://landmatrix.org/media/uploads/nordgoldcomoperationsproductionbissa.pdf

Engineering News, "Bissa-Bouly mine, Burkina Faso" (12 Apr 2019): https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/bissa-bouly-mine-burkina-faso-2019-04-12

Billionaires.Africa, "Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov's $1 billion Burkina Faso gold assets spark security fight" (5 Nov 2026): https://www.billionaires.africa/2026/11/05/russian-billionaire-alexey-mordashovs-1-billion-burkina-faso-gold-assets-spark-security-fight/

Wikipedia, "Nordgold": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordgold

Nord Gold N.V., "First gold poured at new Bissa mine in Burkina Faso" (17 Jan 2013): https://eqs-news.com/news/corporate/nord-gold-n-v-first-gold-poured-at-new-bissa-mine-in-burkina-faso/745095

Environment News Ghana, "Burkina Faso's Bissa Mine to Open in December" (8 Oct 2012): https://landmatrix.org/media/uploads/environmentalwatchmanblogspotcoza201210burkina-fasos-bissa-mine-to-open-inhtml.pdf

Business Excellence, "Nordgold's Bissa-Bouly Gold Mine: Realizing Burkina Faso's Golden Potential" (Apr 2024): https://www.bus-ex.com/article/nordgolds-bissa-bouly-gold-mine-realizing-burkina-fasos-golden-potential

Mining Technology, "Burkina Faso grants Nordgold mining licence for Niou gold deposit": https://www.mining-technology.com/news/burkina-faso-nordgold/

TRT Afrika, "Burkina Faso awards gold mine permit to Russia's Nordgold" (Reuters-based): https://www.trtafrika.com/english/article/0b03c85cc7f0