Aurum Resources has nailed a bonanza gold strike from its rapidly progressing Boundiali project in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa, with its latest diamond drilling results from the BDT2 deposit returning 1.7 metres grading a whopping 70.35 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 276.5m.
The more-than-two-ounce-per-tonne result sits inside a broader 6.54m section running 13.36g/t gold from 272m, featuring 3.7m at 23.32g/t from 274m in the standout hole.
Other notable results from the latest 26-hole, 8720m diamond drilling program, which forms part of Aurum’s broader drilling campaign, included 1m at 14.99g/t within a wider 21-metre interval running at 1.12g/t gold from 228m. A third hole delivered 2.8m at 4.39g/t from 220.7m, including 0.9m at 12.68g/t.
The company says the latest results confirm that gold mineralisation occurs outside the current mineral resource envelope at the BDT2 target, further reinforcing the belief that the broadening system remains open. The two-ounce standout hit was intercepted 40m down dip from previous drilling that defined the current resource, while another deeper hole has pushed gold mineralisation to about 410m below surface.
Aurum’s Boundiali gold project already hosts 3.22 million ounces of gold, while the company’s broader group resource sits at about 4.38 million ounces when its nearby 1.16-million-ounce Napié project is included. The company currently has 16 diamond drill rigs working across its extensive Côte d’Ivoire portfolio and has previously flagged its goal of putting in 130,000m of drilling for the 2026 calendar year, made up of 100,000m at Boundiali and 30,000m at Napié.
Following on from the company’s recently released maiden reserve of 1.21 million gold ounces at Boundiali, management says it’s targeting another resource update by the end of the September quarter, with the latest assays from its BDT2 drilling expected to be incorporated into the new estimate. The company’s other major near-term milestone is a definitive feasibility study, slated for late 2026.
The company has also been ticking off the critical building blocks for development, bolstering its ranks with seasoned mining, project delivery and finance executives. To fuel the accelerated push, Aurum recently banked $28.8 million in fresh capital from existing shareholders and sophisticated investors. Adding further confidence, managing director Dr Caigen Wang tipped in $840,000 of his own money on the same terms as the placement participants.
Aurum Resources managing director Dr Caigen Wang said: “These BDT2 results again demonstrate our team’s ability to cost-effectively grow Mineral Resources at Boundiali at a rate our peers cannot match. Of the 25 holes drilled, the majority were designed to upgrade Inferred Resources to Indicated status, while others tested the limits of known mineralisation. Drilling so far has only targeted the most obvious outcropping anomalies, yet we have rapidly grown resources to 3.22Moz since acquiring the ground — with all deposits remaining open.”
Armed with $61.5 million in cash at the end of March, environmental approvals in hand and mining licences expected later this year, Aurum is now focused on turning the steady flow of analytical data generated by its growing fleet of drill rigs into a bigger resource inventory.
With a development-ready West African gold project looming larger in its sights, Aurum’s 1.5km-long by 1km-wide open-ended BDT2 deposit appears to have plenty of sparkle left in the drill bit, if its latest high-grade results are any guide.
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By Doug Bright
