Resource Upgrade at Blaffo Guetto Raises Questions on Project’s Next Steps
African Gold Ltd has announced a remarkable 119% increase in the inferred gold resource at its Blaffo Guetto prospect in Cote d’Ivoire, now approaching 1 million ounces. With $12 million in funding secured, the company is set to accelerate drilling to unlock further potential across the Didievi Project.
- Inferred resource at Blaffo Guetto rises 119% to 989,000 ounces at 2.5g/t Au
- Resource expands beyond 1 million ounces at lower cut-off grades
- Discovery cost remains low at under US$5 per ounce
- Drilling to intensify from July 2025 with A$12 million cash backing
- Regional targets Pranoi and Poku Trend offer additional upside potential
Resource Growth and Geological Context
African Gold Ltd (ASX – A1G) has delivered a substantial upgrade to its Blaffo Guetto inferred mineral resource within the Didievi Project in Cote d’Ivoire. The updated estimate now stands at 989,000 ounces of gold contained within 12.4 million tonnes at a grade of 2.5 grams per tonne, marking a 119% increase from previous figures. Notably, the resource surpasses 1 million ounces when applying lower cut-off grades, underscoring the deposit’s robustness and flexibility.
The Blaffo Guetto prospect is situated in the underexplored Oumé-Fetekro greenstone belt, a region with significant geological promise. Gold mineralisation occurs in a series of closely spaced, steeply dipping lodes controlled by shear zones, extending continuously over a strike length of approximately 1.8 kilometres. Importantly, the mineralisation remains open in all directions and has only been tested to a depth of around 300 metres, suggesting considerable scope for further expansion.
Cost Efficiency and Quality Assurance
This resource growth has been achieved at a discovery cost of less than US$5 per ounce, inclusive of exploration and corporate expenses, a figure that stands out in the gold exploration sector. The company’s rigorous quality assurance and quality control protocols, including the use of advanced photon assay techniques and external laboratory verification, have confirmed the high accuracy and precision of assay data. These measures provide confidence in the reliability of the resource estimate, which is currently classified as Inferred but may see upgrades to Indicated with further drilling.
Strategic Outlook and Funding
African Gold is well-positioned to capitalise on this momentum, holding A$12 million in cash and equivalents to fund an accelerated drilling campaign commencing in July 2025. The company’s strategy focuses on expanding the Blaffo Guetto resource footprint while simultaneously advancing regional targets such as Pranoi and the Poku Trend, both of which have recently yielded encouraging drilling results. These regional discoveries, along with eight additional drill-ready targets, highlight the potential for the Didievi Project to evolve into a multi-million-ounce gold system.
The project’s strategic location near existing processing infrastructure, within trucking distance of approximately 8 million tonnes of capacity, offers development optionality that could accelerate production timelines and reduce capital intensity. African Gold’s collaboration with strategic partner Montage Gold further strengthens its capacity to unlock value from the project.
Technical Rigor and Future Work
The mineral resource estimate was developed using industry-standard geostatistical methods, including inverse distance weighting and kriging, supported by a comprehensive drillhole database of 237 holes totaling nearly 30,000 metres. The geological interpretation is robust, supported by detailed mapping and structural analysis, and the resource model accounts for the complex distribution of high-grade and low-grade mineralisation within the deposit.
Looking ahead, African Gold plans to continue systematic exploration, including diamond and reverse circulation drilling, structural studies, and geochemical analyses, aimed at both resource growth and enhanced geological understanding. These efforts are designed to underpin future resource upgrades and guide development planning.
Bottom Line?
With a near-million-ounce resource and strong funding, African Gold is poised to transform Didievi into a major gold player, next drilling results will be critical.
Questions in the middle?
- How quickly can African Gold upgrade the resource classification from Inferred to Indicated or Measured?
- What are the timelines and expected outcomes for drilling at the Pranoi and Poku Trend regional targets?
- How will the proximity to existing processing infrastructure influence the project’s development strategy and economics?