"We do not give permits to people because they are from Russia, or from the United States... we give permits to companies that pay taxes and respect our laws." Simon-Pierre Boussim told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town.
The Burkina Faso government - which took power in September in the country's second coup in just eight months - granted a gold mining permit to Nordgold in December.
Nordgold applied for the Yimiougou mine permit in 2017, Boussim said. The mine, in the Centre-Nord region's Sanmatenga province, is expected to produce 2.53 tons of gold over its four-year life, according to the government.
Nordgold operates the Bissa and Bouly mines in the gold-rich West African country. It also owns the Taparko mine, which it shut down in April last year due to security risks.
Mines ministry official Jean-Baptise Kabore said the mine aims to start production this year.
Nordgold, which is under U.S. sanctions, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
