Mako Gold doubles down on gold hunt at Napié with scout aircore drilling now underway

Mako Gold (ASX: MKG) is making good on its plans for more gold discoveries at its Napié project in Cote d’Ivoire with a 15,000m scout aircore drilling program now underway.

The program will focus on various regional exploration targets and kick-off at the Komboro prospect, which has never been drilled.

Drilling aims to make discoveries outside of the main Tchaga and Gogbala prospects to build a multi-million-ounce resource.

Areas to be drilled at Napié comprise high-priority structural and geochemical targets, including ones which returned anomalous rock chips, soil and auger samples.

Once drilling is complete at Komboro, the rig will then move to the Tchaga North prospect to follow up discovery holes that intercepted 8m at 8.53 grams per tonne gold and 1m at 215g/t gold. The program will also test new targets at the prospect.

Mako managing director Peter Ledwidge said the company was “excited” to launch the aircore program.

“Drilling aircore fences allows us to cost-effectively target larger areas with the aim of making new discoveries on Napié.”

Mr Ledwidge added the company was “well-funded” to follow up any anomalous zones identified from the program with reverse circulation drilling.

This is part of the company’s strategy to “advance quickly to the resource stage” with an initial resource estimate scheduled for release in the June quarter.

Advancing Napié gold project

In parallel with the scout aircore program, Mr Ledwidge said a RC rig was operating at Gogbala, and a diamond rig is expected on site soon.

Mako has a 51% interest in Napié and has executed a binding agreement with joint venture partner Perseus Mining (ASX: PRU) to increase its ownership to 90%.

The project encompasses 224 square kilometres of tenements covering the West African Birimian Greenstone Belts, which are known to host more than 70 gold deposits exceeding 1 million ounces.

There are also two auger rigs drilling at Mako’s wholly-owned nearby Korhogo gold project. This program will total 7,000m.

Both Napié and Korhogo are within a region that hosts Barrick’s operating 4.9Moz Tongon gold mine, Montage Gold’s 4.5Moz Kone deposit and Endeavour’s 2.7Moz Wahgnion gold mine.