With its saddlebags full of cash from a recent A$2.5 million placement, Dalaroo Metals has fired up the drill rig for a maiden 12,000-metre reverse circulation campaign at its Bondoukou gold project in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa.
The drilling blitz is designed to test a coherent 7-kilometre-long gold corridor where previous soil sampling returned some eye-catching grades including a stunning 23.26 grams per tonne (g/t) gold.
This new exploration push marks the first systematic subsurface test in Bondoukou and will target the priority prospects Wilfred, Mag, and Ali. These sweet spots were identified using a comprehensive dataset incorporating soil and auger geochemistry, geological mapping, structural interpretation, magnetic data and the distribution of local artisanal gold workings.
Previous surface work by the company defined a compelling 7km gold-in-soil trend, peppered with high-grade results including 23.26g/t, 3.25g/t, 2.54g/t and 2.09g/t gold. The current campaign is designed to determine whether the impressive surface anomalies are linked to mineralised structures in the underlying bedrock.
The drilling will be conducted across two stages. The initial phase, now underway, comprises 24 holes totalling 4200m and plunging to depths of 150m to 250m. The first pass is designed to pin down the orientation and geometry of any mineralisation before the company unleashes a bigger 78-hole, 7800m follow-up campaign, subject to the results from stage one.
The initial phase is expected to take up to four weeks to complete, with first assay results anticipated in the early part of the fourth quarter this year. The company says it will then progressively update its geological model to prioritise subsequent drilling. Dalaroo says it continues to engage and consult with communities near the project regarding its planned activities and respond to any issues raised during the campaign to ensure smooth progress.
Dalaroo chief executive officer John Morgan said: “This 12,000-metre program represents the first systematic drill test beneath the extensive surface gold anomalism identified across the Mag, Wilfred and Ali targets. The scale and continuity of the surface geochemistry, together with the interpreted geological and structural setting, have defined a compelling series of targets for first-pass drilling.”
Dalaroo’s extensive drilling plans have coincided with renewed interest in Côte d’Ivoire, as the West African nation continues to attract increasing exploration capital. Investors are being drawn to its underexplored gold belts and near-surface, structurally controlled gold systems, helping cement the country’s reputation as one of Africa’s most active gold jurisdictions. A growing pipeline of discoveries is therefore keeping fresh drill programs firmly on the market’s radar.
The numbers are hard to ignore. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence's 2026 World Exploration Trends report, Côte d'Ivoire attracted $186 million in mineral exploration investment in 2025, the single largest increase anywhere on the African continent. That figure is up from $102 million in 2024, an 82 per cent hike in a single year.
While the turning rods in Côte d’Ivoire might be attracting the market's immediate attention, Dalaroo is far from a one-trick pony. The company holds a diversified portfolio of exploration assets including the Blue Lagoon project in south-west Greenland, which is prospective for rare earth elements, zirconium and niobium.
A recently completed geophysical survey at site has confirmed sediment packages up to 50 metres thick within the primary rare earth-bearing shoreline areas, further validating its "source to sink" geological model. The model centres on rare earth-enriched alkaline granites eroding into a contained lagoon environment.
Closer to home in Western Australia, it holds the Lyons River and Watheroo projects. Recent soil sampling at Watheroo has extended a promising copper-nickel anomaly, while past work at Lyons River has indicated a potential gold system discovery.
For now, however, all eyes will be on West Africa. With a well-funded and systematic drill program underway to test a string of compelling surface gold anomalies, Dalaroo is giving itself every chance of making a significant discovery. If the drill bit can confirm that the spectacular grades seen at surface extend at depth, its ambitions of bagging an elephant might draw a step closer for this Perth-based hunter.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au
By Murray Ward
