Licence Renewal Adds Uncertainty to Skylark’s Vavoua Acquisition

Strategic Acquisition Expands Côte d’Ivoire Gold Portfolio

Skylark Minerals (ASX:SKM) has moved decisively to expand its West African presence by exercising its option to acquire 100% ownership of the Vavoua Project in central Côte d’Ivoire. The acquisition, secured for A$150,000 funded from existing cash reserves, adds a substantial 537 square kilometre licence area just 20 kilometres north of the operating Abujar Gold Mine, a notable asset in the region’s gold landscape.

The Vavoua Project’s location within a prospective structural corridor that hosts multiple significant gold deposits, including Abujar and Yaouré, situates it strategically for exploration upside. This corridor’s geology features folded volcano-sedimentary sequences and major shear zones, settings known to be conducive to gold mineralisation in Côte d’Ivoire.

Historical Drilling Highlights Gold Potential

Previous exploration at Vavoua has been limited but encouraging. Approximately 8,000 metres of Air-Core (AC) drilling over a small target area has returned notable gold intersections, including 2 metres at 6.4 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 27 metres depth and other hits ranging from 1.0 to 3.6 g/t over 2-metre intervals. Auger sampling has also identified near-surface gold anomalies, with results such as 1 metre at 3.0 g/t gold from 11 metres depth.

These results, while modest in scale, are significant given the lateritic cover typical of the region which can mask mineralisation. Skylark’s Executive Chair Nikolai Zelenski emphasised the underexplored nature of the project, particularly at depth, noting the favourable early results and structural similarities with the nearby Abujar Mine. This acquisition complements Skylark’s broader Côte d’Ivoire strategy, which includes the flagship Zaranou Project where recent drilling campaigns have identified deeper and higher-grade gold zones, as seen in their latest Zaranou drilling results and M’Basso Zone discoveries.

Planned Exploration to Unlock Project Value

Looking ahead, Skylark plans a systematic exploration program at Vavoua, beginning with detailed ground reconnaissance later in 2026. This will be followed by infill geochemical and auger sampling to refine targets and drill testing priority zones, subject to approvals and operational considerations. The company’s approach aims to address the current underexploration, especially the potential for mineralisation at depth that historical drilling has not yet tested.

While the licence application for part of the project is currently under renewal, Skylark has assumed responsibility for this process, adding a layer of regulatory due diligence to the acquisition. The modest acquisition cost and existing data set provide a low-cost entry point with significant exploration upside in a proven gold province.