IT’S a busy time for Perth-based West African Resources which recently registered first production from Kiaka, a gold mine in Burkina Faso. This is the second operation for the growing producer, with the Sanbrado operation, also in Burkina Faso, being commissioned on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. “With the Kiaka build complete and production ramp-up underway, WAF has realised its strategy of having two long-life, unhedged, low-cost gold production centres in operation in 2025,” WAF executive chair Richard Hyde said. WAF expects to produce 4.2 million oz of gold between 2024 and 2033, including 480,000 oz/y between 2026 and 2031. Despite some investors’ concerns around risk in Burkina Faso in general, WAF’s experience in the country has been positive with no major security incidents.