Aurum Resources has delivered a transformative 50 per cent increase in its JORC-compliant mineral resource estimate for the company’s Boundiali gold project in Côte d'Ivoire, which now totals 2.41 million ounces of gold at 1 gram per tonne (g/t) gold, a massive hike of 820,000 ounces.
When combined with the company’s Napié project’s 0.87 million ounces, Aurum’s combined resources across its tenement group now total 3.28 million ounces of the yellow metal, marking a significant milestone in the company’s growth as a leading West African gold explorer.
The new resource estimate comprises 18.5 million tonnes of indicated resources at 1g/t gold for 600,000 ounces and 54.2Mt of inferred resources at 1g/t gold for 1.81 million ounces, using cut-off grades of 0.4g/t above 300 metres depth and 1g/t below 300m.
The 2025 Boundiali resource estimate spans six deposits - BST1, BDT1, BDT2, BDT3, BMT1, BMT3 - across three tenements, with high-grade inferred resources including 400,000 ounces at 2g/t gold in BMT3, 220,000 ounces at 1.7g/t gold in BMT1 and 100,000 ounces at 1.9g/t gold in BDT3.
Aurum Resources managing director Dr Caigen Wang said: Our team has achieved an 820,000 ounce increase from seven months of drilling since the maiden MRE in December 2024, a 52% increase. Apart from this significant growth in quantity, this updated MRE realised a 362% increase in the Indicated Resource component from 130,000 ounces in the December 2024 MRE to 600,000 ounces in this updated MRE.”
Located in the prolifically productive West African Craton, Boundiali shares the same greenstone belt as major gold mines such as African focussed Resolute Mining’s 11.5-million-ounce Syama deposit and Montage Gold’s 4.5-million-ounce Koné operation.
The Boundiali project has excellent infrastructure, including sealed roads that connect it to the city of Korhogo, 100km to the east, and 225kVA power lines spanning the project ground, which support efficient exploration and future mining operations.
Gold mineralisation, hosted in shear-zone quartz veins with pyrite and visible gold, remains open along strike and at depth, pointing to likely significant future upside.
Aurum’s aggressive 100,000m drilling program has driven this upgrade. The company has utilised its burgeoning stock of self-owned diamond rigs, offering enormous flexibility and speed of resource development, to drill more than 114,718m since October 2023.
A second resource estimate update is planned for late 2025, which will embrace areas of ongoing exploration across largely unexplored prospects.
A pre-feasibility study, due by the end of the year, will assess the project’s economic and technical viability. Metallurgical testwork confirms 95-99 per cent gold recovery using gravity and carbon-in-leach circuits, with low reagent consumption, enhancing project economics.
With $46.9 million in cash and its Montage shares, Aurum is well-positioned to unlock Boundiali’s vast potential, in a region renowned for its world-class gold deposits.
The company’s spectacular 50 per cent resource upgrade to 2.41 million ounces for its Boundiali ground cements its position as a leading gold explorer in West Africa.
With open mineralisation, a robust drilling campaign and untapped prospects, Aurum is on track for significant growth as new targets emerge, promising substantial value creation.
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By Doug Bright
