Africa-focused gold miner Resolute Mining has announced an initial mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 643 000 oz of contained gold at its La Debo project in Côte d’Ivoire, which is 60% larger than historical estimates.

This has been achieved through exploration success at the G3S prospect on the La Debo permit.

Highlights include an inferred MRE for La Debo (G3N and G3S prospects) of 17.6-million tonnes grading 1.14 g/t gold for 643 000 oz of contained gold at 0.5 g/t cutoff grade versus the historic resource of 400 000 oz grading 1.3 g/t at 0.3 g/t cutoff.

The gold mineralisation at G3N and G3S is from surface with consistent along strike and down dip grade continuity.

The mineral resources at the G3N and G3S prospects remain open down dip with grades encountered so far increasing at depth at G3S.

Future exploration will focus on extending mineralisation at depth at G3S, as well as testing the strong gold anomaly at the G1 prospect area to the south-west.

La Debo is one of Resolute’s key exploration assets in Côte d’Ivoire.

The focus of future exploration is on extending the high-grade mineralisation at G3S as well as drill testing targets in the south-western half of the permit.

In October, Resolute was granted two new exploration permits, Serihio and Okroyou, that are contiguous to the south of the La Debo permit.

Resolute plans to start exploration across these permits in 2026 and sees potential for the resources at the La Debo project to expand further.

Depending on results, the MRE may be updated in late 2026.

The company has over seven-million ounces of gold resource across three assets in Côte d’Ivoire. Doropo is the most advanced project with the results of an updated feasibility study expected to be published in December.

Following this, and granting of the exploitation permit, construction is planned to start in 2026 with first gold production in 2028.

Resolute’s other exploration project in Côte d’Ivoire is the ABC project, which has a current MRE of 2.2-million ounces.

An exploration programme consisting of about 25 000 m of reverse circulation drilling has started and will continue over the next six months.

Exploration remains central to Resolute’s growth strategy and a key driver of long-term shareholder value, the company points out.

It adds that the ongoing exploration programmes are designed to expand resource potential, extend mine life and unlock new opportunities across its portfolio.

Further to the active exploration campaigns in Côte d’Ivoire, Resolute expects to announce updates on its exploration and mine extension activities in Senegal before year-end.

“We are pleased to release an initial Joint Ore Reserves Committee resource for the La Debo project in Côte d’Ivoire. The exploration team has done a great job adding over 250 000 oz of contained gold to the historic resource,” MD and CEO Chris Eger highlights.

“The initial MRE of over 640 000 oz of contained gold forms a strong foundation at La Debo. We are confident of expanding the resources further and will continue exploration over other prospects on the La Debo permit.

“Moreover, initial exploration work is planned on the two newly granted exploration permits that are only 15 km from the resource announced today,” he adds.

“With exploration projects in Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Guinea, Resolute is well-positioned to continue building a diversified pipeline of high-quality projects,” Eger avers.