Unhedged gold mining company West African Resources (WAF) has reported further results from the maiden grade control drilling program at its Kiaka Gold Project, Burkina Faso (Kiaka).
Highlights
- Maiden grade control drilling of Kiaka Main Pit Stage 1 completed, with mining to start in Q1 2025.
- Grade control results continue to deliver thick and consistent zones of mineralisation.
- Significant results include:
- 5m at 27.2 g/t gold
- 11m at 8.7g/t gold
- 24m at 2.3g/t gold
- 27m at 2g/t gold
- 26m at 2g/t gold
- 28m at 1.9g/t gold
- Drilling confirms gold mineralisation is over 400m wide at surface.
- Waste stripping to commence in Q1 2025, first ore mining in early Q2.
Kiaka tracking to schedule and budget for first gold production in Q3 2025.
West African Executive Chairman Richard Hyde commented:
“Kiaka’s maiden grade control drilling has returned further thick and consistent zones of near-surface gold mineralisation including 5m at 27.2 g/t gold and 11m at 8.7 g/t gold. We have now completed the maiden grade control drilling program on-budget and on-schedule ahead of starting open pit mining at Kiaka. Results reinforce WAF’s geological model for the Kiaka Main Stage 1 open pit with gold mineralisation over 400m wide at surface and a very low strip ratio of 0.8 to 1 (waste to ore). Mining of our large 20-year Kiaka Main Pit is scheduled to start in late Q1 2025 followed by processing and gold production in Q3 2025, which will see WAF become a +420,000 ounce per annum gold producer.”
