The West African country of Burkina Faso has become a leading African producer of gold in recent years. While this is mainly due to a boom in industrial gold mining since 2008, artisanal gold mining has been practiced throughout the country since the 1980s and continues to be an important source of livelihood for an estimated 1,2 Mio people (of a total population of c. 17 Mio). Private gold buying companies who were well-connected with the Compaoré government (1987–2014) profited from the privatization of the artisanal gold mining sector since the mid-1990s. This led to a situation where some Burkinabè businessmen made their own laws in gold mining areas, smuggled most of the gold out of the country and provoked violent conflicts with gold miners and local populations. This paper gives an overview of the institutional changes that have shaped artisanal gold mining in Burkina Faso from the mid-1980s until today. •This paper presents an overview of the institutional changes in artisanal gold mining in Burkina Faso since the mid-1980s.•Due to withdrawal of the state some Burkinabè businessmen could make their own laws in gold mining areas.•The government has started reforming the mining sector and is creating a new government body for monitoring artisanal mining.•Technological and organizational changes have led to a professonalization of artisanal gold mining.